POTHEADS BECOME DOPES

It seems Hollywood isn't wrong when it portrays stoners as, well, dumb.
Heavy marijuana use does seem to drive down the IQ by an average of four
points, researchers from Carleton University report in today's issue of the
Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The good news? The decline appears to right itself, if the dope smoker
butts out.

"A negative effect was not observed among subjects who had previously been
heavy users but were no longer using the substance," the researchers wrote.

Results Mixed

The issue of whether marijuana use has an impact on IQ is a contentious one.

"It's been very controversial," said lead author Peter Fried of Carleton's
psychology department. "There have been about 50 studies that have looked
at the issue of if there's a residual effect and it's pretty much 50-50."

About half the studies compared subjects' IQs while under the influence to
their IQ after several days of enforced abstinence.

Since 1978, Fried and his colleagues have followed a group of children
whose mothers enrolled in the Ottawa Prenatal Prospective Study. They are
now aged 17 to 20.

More Studies

While the results are positive news for recreational marijuana users, Fried
cautioned the findings are preliminary. His team is still studying the
subjects to see if there is any impact on attention, memory or other mental
functions.