by Zoë Pollock
A recent study refuted the argument marijuana impairs your longterm learning or memory, because they finally controlled for factors like education and gender. Jonah Lehrer examines the creative claims made about marijuana. A different study looked at semantic priming, or our ability to connect related words (pairing dog with words like cat or pet):
Interestingly, the scientists found that marijuana seems to induce a state of hyper-priming, in which the reach of semantic priming extends to distantly related concepts. As a result, we hear “dog” and think of nouns that, in more sober circumstances, would seem rather disconnected, such as “leash” or “hair.” This state of hyper-priming helps explain why cannabis has been so often used as a creative fuel, as it seems to make the brain better at detecting those remote associations that lead to radically new ideas.
(Photo: "Going Up to Alaska.” 2009, by Maureen Drennan. Her photo essay, “Meet Me in the Green Glen” captures life on a California marijuana farm.)
The Dish 