Teen Cannabis Use Linked to Slower Growth in Memory and Thinking

Teen cannabis use linked to slower gains in memory and focus

The brain is only about 80% developed in adolescence

Major Study Links Teen Cannabis Use to Delayed Thinking and Memory Skills

When this Gen Xer was growing up, the accepted, anti-Reefer Madness narrative about smoking weed was that a) it wasn’t addictive, and b) it was totally safe. Fast forward several decades, and we’ve now got a growing body of evidence that not only can it be addictive, with Cannabis Use Disorder a real possibility for some heavy or long-term users, but that its use, especially in adolescence, can lead to real-world harms from increased anxiety t…

Teen cannabis use linked to slower growth in memory and thinking

Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that teenagers who begin using cannabis show slower gains in thinking and memory skills as they grow. The study, published on April 20, 2026 in Neuropsychopharmacology, analyzed data from more than 11,000 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development in U.S. youth.

UCSD study shows possible link between marijuana use in teens and slower brain development

A UC San Diego study looked at marijuana use and cognitive development in more than 11,000 teenagers over the course of several years.

Largest US study finds teen cannabis use linked to slower cognitive development

Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that teenagers who begin using cannabis show slower gains in thinking and memory skills as they grow. The study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, analyzed data from more than 11,000 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development in U.S. youth.

Largest U.S. Study Finds Teen Cannabis Use Linked to Slower Cognitive Development

Researchers from UC San Diego found that teenagers who begin using cannabis show slower gains in thinking and memory skills as they grow.