How long-term marijuana use could cause a reduction in memory, according to a CU Anschutz researcher

In The NoCo

How long-term marijuana use could cause a reduction in memory, according to a CU Anschutz researcher

By In The NoCo,

Published February 11, 2025 at 5:40 AM MST

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Dr Josh Gowen looks at brain scans on a computer with a technologist. — Dr Josh Gowin is a neuroscientist at CU Anschutz Medical Campus and recently conducted a study the showed that long-term users of Cannabis experience a reduction in working memory. Yet he doesn't want to alarm people about the use of Cannabis, saying, "it's not going to turn Albert Einstein into Fred Flintstone, but it might add a cloud into an otherwise clear sky."

If you grew up in the 80s, you might remember a famous anti-drug public service announcement from TV. There was a frying pan, a sizzling egg and an ominous warning: 鈥淭his is your brain on drugs.鈥�

a researcher with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, remembers that ad quite well. Anti-drug PSA's like that one inspired him to study the effects of marijuana use on the brain and find out if that fried egg analogy is accurate.

Gowin, a neuroscientist, looked at more than 1,000 scans of people鈥檚 brains. And he saw something notable in the brains of frequent cannabis users: a reduction in their working memory, which is the brain function that helps people keep track of what they鈥檙e doing.

Gowin recently his research. He joined Erin O鈥橳oole to explain what his findings mean for cannabis users 鈥� and what kinds of tasks might suffer if someone鈥檚 working memory deteriorates.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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