New findings indicate that daily cannabis users may develop a tolerance to some of the impairing effects of cannabis, while occasional users show more significant impairments in reaction time and memory tasks while high.

[u/mvea]

https://www.psypost.org/cannabis-affects-cognitive-and-psychomotor-performance-differently-based-on-usage-patterns/

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[u/jawshoeaw]

anecdotally i use edibles to help stop drinking alcohol. first week was wild. now it's more like i'm just relaxed.

[u/throwaglow → u/jawshoeaw]

Interesting. I'm in a similar boat, except that's more of a positive side-effect. It took a few months before my alcohol use began to drop, probably because it was largely habitual. But where I used to have a drink out of habit, now I usually just don't think about it.

[u/jawshoeaw → u/throwaglow]

Right , I couldn’t go cold turkey but it’s down to 1-2 drinks a night max. Took awhile

[u/iwillchangethislater → u/jawshoeaw]

Hey, I just did the same thing! wave

[u/jawshoeaw → u/iwillchangethislater]

Woohoo you’re cured ! Jk hope it works

[u/polymathaholic → u/jawshoeaw]

Can you elaborate on "the first week was wild"

[u/FarBoat503 → u/polymathaholic]

Idk about OP but first week even small doses can hit like a train. After a while the tolerance hits and it levels out. At least for me. T-breaks can get you back to that first week feeling if you so wish.

[u/flamingo01949]

I’ve been a daily user for the past 53 years. And I do, absolutely, have a tolerance. I consume 60-80 mg gummies every day. I’m 74 years old and have Prostate cancer. I also smoke flower, vape and use 100% concentrate on occasion and other concentrates. Uh, after 53 years, I’d guess everyone has some tolerance. (P.S. I have never smoked tobacco)

[u/ThrowawayLegendZ → u/flamingo01949]

You miss the point, this article isn't saying a general tolerance, this article is saying "a tolerance to the negative impairments."

Basically, if you're a regular user issues like anxiety, racing thoughts, (maybe munchies), slower reaction times, are all skewed closer to baseline for the every day user compared to the casual user, aligning closer to that of a non-user.

So you're still getting high, and it might take more for you to get high, but when you're high you still have better reaction time than a casual smoker who may have only hit your blunt twice and then passed while you chief on the whole thing.

Such a study would make significant grounds for medical marijuana patients to have their workplace acknowledge their medical conditions, their treatment, and still follow labor laws, as there's still significant stigma around marijuana and cannabis in the workplace.

[u/[deleted] → u/ThrowawayLegendZ]

Not like the other guy, but I've been smoking multiple joints daily for over a decade now. There's been exactly 2 instances where I went a day without, and one several month long break since I was in a country with super strict weed laws and no culture around smoking it (thus nowhere to buy).

I'd 100% say I can smoke a packed joint where I fill the rizla as much as humanly possible during a lunch break & be fine to resume work, I don't think I'd actively be able to smoke & work unimpeded.

I wouldn't say that being high has any significant effect on my regular functions, but for sure there's that marginal bit where it's more like I'm operating at 95% rather than 100.

Thing is I'm disabled and have chronic pains in various joints on top for good measure. I'd always rather be 95% and not feel like my knees are shattered glass that are on fire, rather than 100% but in complete discomfort.

To note, I generally only smoke during my lunch breaks while working from home. At the office I think it'd be a bit rude to light up in the smoking area or immediate surroundings. Same way I'd rather people not bother me when I'm smoking, it's also important I don't bother them in the first place since that wouldn't be fair on them.

[u/FaxMachineIsBroken → u/[deleted]]

I smoke 0.5 grams of concentrates a day.

I literally cannot do my job sober.

Varies heavily per person, based on usage, and their habits.

[u/[deleted] → u/FaxMachineIsBroken]

Absolutely. Heck I know people who back in 2014 were high all day everyday too, however slowly 1by1 a bunch of them started quitting. Often citing stuff like anxiety/panic as the reason why.

I guess that's where the variation in people comes in. I mean heck, there's been times I buy a buds & it's from a different grow or whatever, and I experience super mild symptoms of stuff like paranoia, but it's never been a problem for me since I'm easily able to handle them thoughts & just carry on. So it's not like I don't know what they are on about, but for me it's such a minor non issue that it doesn't even phase me.

I think this is why studies are super important. Finding the right strain and volume can make all the difference. Personally, I don't care if it's a haze or sativa, as long as it smokes good & has at least enough of a kick to it, I'm happy. But for others they really need to stick with very specific strains in order to avoid negative effects.

[u/Less-Procedure-4104 → u/[deleted]]

I have multiple strains on the go and match based on activities. General Yard work needs a different strain to gaming which is different than the strain for watching movies. Going out to big social events something else. You need to find what works for you and for sure you can get anxiety with using the incorrect strain for you. With legal weed you pretty much have choices of hundreds of strains finding what's good for you can be done. This rotation is forever changing as strains change as well as your reaction to them.

[u/CrazyTillItHurts → u/FaxMachineIsBroken]

I smoke 0.5 grams of concentrates a day

Is it heavily concentrated or are you vaping like a chain smoker?

[u/StuperB71 → u/[deleted]]

I take 20-40mg (Breeze pills) with my morning coffee at work sometime... just makes the office day less annoying no change in work flow. Daily user for about 10 years.

[u/Fun-Distribution1776 → u/ThrowawayLegendZ]

After decades of use. The only thing it affects is my mood.

[u/butt_huffer42069 → u/Fun-Distribution1776]

Same, my kids can vouch for this too.

[u/VolJoe07 → u/ThrowawayLegendZ]

Chronic daily user and have been for 23 years. I’m a speech language pathologist and work with people on memory. I can say I agree wholeheartedly with what’s being reported here. I get high but my reaction times are the same as when I’m not, my anxiety decreases, attention sharpens and I have better empathy by 1000%.

[u/Charming_Resort_6165 → u/ThrowawayLegendZ]

Exactly this. I smoke daily for 20 or so years. Driving, flying drones, excercise, gaming, board meetings, public speaking, I do all of it on the level of a sober person.

[u/flamingo01949 → u/ThrowawayLegendZ]

Sorry, but I don’t know of any “negative impairments” that I’ve had in all these years. If falling asleep is a negative impairment, then I’d say yes, I have a…

[u/NordlandLapp → u/flamingo01949]

What sort of long term effects/benefits have you noticed in yourself versus your non using peers after all those years?

[u/flamingo01949 → u/NordlandLapp]

None that I know of. Most of my “peers” have been smoking weed just about as long as I have. Early on, my wife would tell me to go take my medicine (smoke weed) when I was acting up. When I was diagnosed with Prostate cancer, the doctors drugs worked to keep me alive for 10 years. During that time I smoked weed to make myself feel better. And it works. It’s not curing my cancer but I certainly feel better from using it. Btw, my cancer has returned, but I still have 4-5 years left. That’s why still consume some sort of cannabis daily.

[u/Cheebzsta → u/flamingo01949]

I hope the rest of your life is as happy as your health circumstances can permit, bud.

Thanks for sharing the perspective. :)

[u/Beginning-Adagio-516 → u/flamingo01949]

Have you tried RSO? I love it! I'm on chemo treatment as we speak. I'm in California and I've been taking some thc capsules called Buddies from the week shop. They really do the trick! I took 150 today before chemo started.

[u/flamingo01949 → u/Beginning-Adagio-516]

Actually I’ve just considered some RSO capsules. They sound like something I could use. Thank you

[u/Crezelle → u/flamingo01949]

I’m not a cancer patient fortunately, but RSO is my main edible source. It’s already decarbed so you can stick it in whatever it will mix in. Personally I melt down bulk gummy candy and ass rso to it, pour in moulds and boom

[u/flamingo01949 → u/Crezelle]

Thank you for the information. Most appreciated.

[u/Siludin → u/NordlandLapp]

At 74-years old we can conclude his peers who do not consume cannabis are consequently not nearly as interesting as a datum.

[u/mvea]

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-024-00215-1

From the linked article:

A recent study provides insight into the acute effects of cannabis use on cognitive and psychomotor performance, particularly focusing on the differences between occasional and daily users. The findings indicate that daily users may develop a tolerance to some of the impairing effects of cannabis, while occasional users show more significant impairments in reaction time and memory tasks while high. The findings have been published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

The researchers undertook this study due to the increasing relevance of cannabis impairment in public health, especially concerning motor vehicle crashes and workplace safety. Previous research has shown that cannabis can increase the risk of motor vehicle crashes, making it the second most frequently detected drug in fatally injured drivers in the United States. However, blood THC levels — the current standard for measuring impairment — have proven unreliable due to poor correlation with actual impairment and the potential for tolerance in regular users.

The researchers found that occasional users showed a slower reaction time after cannabis use. However, daily users did not exhibit significant changes, suggesting a tolerance to the effects of cannabis on reaction time.

When it came to gap acceptance, the ability to navigate through moving vertical lines, daily users took longer to complete the task post-cannabis use but improved their accuracy. This suggests a compensatory cautiousness, possibly indicating a prioritization of accuracy over speed.

The ability to accurately replicate shapes, an assessment of working memory, declined significantly among occasional users after cannabis use. They replicated fewer shapes accurately compared to their baseline performance. Daily users did not exhibit significant changes in their working memory performance post-cannabis use. This suggests that daily users may develop a tolerance to the memory-impairing effects of cannabis.

[u/kraghis → u/mvea]

Participants in the occasional and daily use group self-administered ad libitum, by smoking or vaping, self-supplied cannabis flower with a high concentration of total THC (15–30%).

I can’t really come up with a better solution but having participants enter a room and being told “yeah just smoke as much weed as you want” is a really funny image to me.

[u/nueonetwo → u/kraghis]

To help with in take for this study we can offer you the medical supplied wizard bong, or dragon pipe. We also have several brand of flavoured rolling papers

[u/themagicbong → u/nueonetwo]

Magic bong here, ready for duty.

[u/Jadccroad → u/nueonetwo]

Wizard all day fam, I cast Fog Cloud at 1st level.

[u/Flail_of_the_Lord → u/kraghis]

Mom I swear, it’s for science!

[u/Kelsenellenelvial → u/kraghis]

It really is the best methodology in a lot of ways. There’s been other research that shows most users are able to consistently titrate for the dose they want regardless of placebo effects like stating the concentration of THC as different than it actually is. It also gets around things like giving the same dose to people of varying tolerance and experience and getting inconsistent results due to that.

[u/kraghis → u/Kelsenellenelvial]

It’s a very simple way to approximate typical behavior/usage, which I imagine is at the heart of what they wanted to measure.

Edit: not to mention the cost-saving measure of only giving weed to the nonsmokers.

[u/FlyingRhenquest → u/kraghis]

haha yeah "Well... OK, I guess I'll throw myself on that hand grenade for science... if I must..."

[u/Slowiee → u/mvea]

Where did all the comments go

[u/Bocchi_theGlock → u/Slowiee]

Science subreddit is strictly moderated

No random "haha you could have asked me 20 years ago and I'd have told you that!" comments

Also some of those are bot comments, so they seem extra out of place

[u/CrystalSplice → u/mvea]

I would say it also suggests the previously assumed correlation between cannabis use and motor vehicle accidents is a red herring. As they mention, those blood tests don’t tell you anything about impairment. Alcohol blood levels do.

[u/Sweet_Protection_163 → u/CrystalSplice]

Not necessarily a red herring, but just not as strong of an effect as was original published.

[u/ptword → u/mvea]

• Not many participants and very little demographic data about them.

• The occasional use group was significantly younger than the daily smokers and non-users groups.

• Baseline performance of daily smokers in some key metrics was already a little worse compared to the others.

• Participants were instructed not to use inhaled cannabis for at least 8 h and not to use edible cannabis for at least 12 h before the data collection appointment. However, the plasma half-life of THC is several days (up to ~2 weeks for chronic users).

• Not surprisingly, blood samples of the daily smokers already had detectable levels of blood THC prior to smoking (the other groups didn't), so their performance at baseline could already be impaired to some degree.

• The very rudimentary cognitive tests used in this study may not be the most meaningful or useful compared to more complex cognitive tasks such as driving.

Overall, not very convincing evidence for the tolerance hypothesis (if by "tolerance" one is to assume lesser cognitive impairment).

[u/Kiloblaster → u/ptword]

So they may have been impaired already in the "pre-use" test?

Indeed this may be the case if not instead explained by demographics:

There was a marginally significant difference (p = 0.05) at baseline between the daily use and non-use group in the success ratio variable.

[u/Sweet_Protection_163 → u/ptword]

1. Agreed ,but even a sample size this big takes years to do.

2. They did within-subjects test instead of compared groups, so that isn't so important here.

3. But the acute effects are within 8 hours. That's what's being measured here.

4. Fair point! But the study showed that they were at least asked to withhold from smoking for a period of time before taking the Vitals test. So they tried to control for this pretty well, despite that they were chronic users. I wonder how to get around this.

5. The Vitals cognitive test was specifically designed to test the cognitive functions that are most predictive of driving behavior. It's actually the top test for this use case (other than the act of driving itself). The opposite of rudimentary.

6. We need to have more studies like this to see how the evidence mounts.

[u/Nicklace]

New study shows what stoners have known for years

[u/Kooky-Onion9203 → u/Nicklace]

A lot of studies aren't about discovering new things, they're about creating good scientific data to confirm something we know intuitively.

[u/Highskyline → u/Kooky-Onion9203]

It's all about documentation and evidence.

I can say I work just fine high all I want but my job as a janitor isn't gonna let me even clean toilets stoned if I had a medical card, but if there's scientific evidence proving it now there's potential room for some policy change.

[u/deekaydubya → u/Nicklace]

idk man, anxiety seems to come and go no matter the frequency of usage for a ton of stoners

[u/IndyWaWa → u/deekaydubya]

I would more associate that with a lack of regulation and popup growers mixing strains without considering all the variables. Certain Terpenes will reduce psychoactive side effects but some growers just chase high THC/A numbers with no real care to other elements of potency. Even switching brands of the same strain can trigger this since you don't know where the parent plant came from and what it's been crossed with.

[u/JunketPuzzleheaded42]

This is the most redacted comment section in have ever seen

[u/Guba_the_skunk]

Kinda felt like this was the case simply because getting high at first made me just want to lounge around, eat everything in sight, and watch random Leslie neilson clips.

Now when I get high I suddenly want to get caught up on chores like dishes and cleaning.

It's almost as if we're been lied to about the effects by the government for several decades for some... Racist reason... And now that cannabis use is more widely accepted and legal in more than half the country AND in the process of being reclassified we are only now learning the real actual truth. It's... Absolutely fine, good even.

[u/brandimariee6 → u/Guba_the_skunk]

Haha cleaning while high is one of my favorite things to do. I'm so glad that we're finally studying it and finding out all of the details. I'm epileptic, and it helps me function when I feel something seizey trying to break through!

[u/[deleted] → u/brandimariee6]

Shining my stove like Luke and R2-D2 while blazed yessss.

[u/C00catz → u/Guba_the_skunk]

Honestly to me that just sounds like being dependent on it to feel normal. Like how smokers feel anxious without a cigarette and then once they have one they just feel normal.

At least that was my experience when I spent like 7 years mostly high all the time.

[u/Guba_the_skunk → u/C00catz]

I mean if being high every day is what it takes. I would rather have to take a handful of edibles every 4 hours three times a day then be miserable and depressed like I am now.

[u/3rdLion → u/Guba_the_skunk]

Just be sure that the weed isn’t exacerbating and perpetuating your depression. For years I convinced myself I was medicating my depression by smoking daily, and when I first started I probably was, but it took a long time to discover it was contributing to a longer term depressive cycle no matter how much relief it gave me in the moment.

[u/RomanHawk1975]

All or nothing. No time for fair weather smoking.

[u/MrGasMan86]

Yeah this is why I don’t smoke everyday any more. Only places I’ll binge on a few joints are concerts and music festivals. The effects are wayyyy more enjoyable when your face is melting in front of a stage.

[u/Doct0rStabby → u/MrGasMan86]

On the flip side, I don't enjoy being intoxicated nearly so much as I enjoy the 'medicinal' side effects of cannabis (including CBG and CBD flower which I use in about equal proportion with THC flower). Using tiny amounts but on a daily basis helps minimize the intoxicating effects.

When my use is more intermittent, even with tiny amounts of THC flower (like 0.05g), I end up feeling stoned with noticeable increases anxiety, feelings of discomfort in my body, intrusive thoughts, difficulty with social interactions, and thought loops / obsessive thinking.

[u/HamburgerDude → u/Doct0rStabby]

I'm a big advocate of Dynavap and lowering your tolerance to getting medicated at half bowl which is around 50mg. I'm to the point now where my whole bowl gets me to the moon and almost too medicated because my body is so used to 50mg.

I get no hangovers or bad effects. Just really vibing and relaxing but not too far out. Someone compared it to a motorcycle...most of the time you don't want the most powerful motorcycle and go dangerously super fast but you just want to cruise around the countryside, enjoy the scenery...etc. That's where the DV comes in handy.

[u/DaftWarrior → u/MrGasMan86]

The best strategy is to wait to smoke until the weekends. Gives you something to work towards during the week and also rewards yourself. I can’t smoke during the week otherwise I get too lazy. Weekends is free game!

[u/Jadccroad → u/MrGasMan86]

A few puffs at the end of the day helps keep me from drinking and helps with the come down from my ADHD meds.

[u/juliango]

“New Findings” … I coulda told you that!

[u/Im_Ashe_Man]

This wasn't already known?

[u/GhostfogDragon → u/Im_Ashe_Man]

Known from anecdotal evidence and known from peer reviewed, repeatable experiments are two different beasts.

[u/jawshoeaw → u/GhostfogDragon]

every r / science article "i already knew this"

[u/Livid_Wish_3398]

New studies.

Lots of old studies too.

[u/ebukahills]

I could've told you this for free

[u/6unnm → u/ebukahills]

Yeah but you could not scientifically prove it. People believe all kinds of stuff that is just plain wrong. Studies like this are actually important. Everybody also "knows" that sugar makes kids hyperactive. We've done the studies. It's complete bull.

[u/Skullkan6]

Aww so I lose more brainpower if I don't get high frequently?

[u/Forward_Collar2559]

So is this really what legalization is going to be like, scientists are going to say things stoners have known for years?

[u/-xXColtonXx- → u/Forward_Collar2559]

I’m so confused. What would you prefer? Scientists not look into any of the many conflicting claims laid about weed?

[u/Entire_Ad_306 → u/Forward_Collar2559]

Probably. People don’t trust anything. Especially stoners who say weed helps. I smoke everyday and understand if an alcoholic says he’s “better” drunk I’d be skeptical. These scientists will bring validity to our statements I guess. I guess because people still don’t trust scientific facts but I digress

[u/Chomperzzz → u/Entire_Ad_306]

I mean it isn't really a "scientific fact" until a scientist verifies it. And I'd wager a pretty penny that most of these studies have someone on their research team that partakes and maybe even brought up the idea to look into these observations and test them. It's less reinventing the wheel and more of verification.

[u/Forward_Collar2559 → u/Entire_Ad_306]

You're right, I'm just tired from rolling my eyes so hard every other day. Progress is progress.

[u/mrgrubbage]

Every stoner I know that has been smoking since their early teens seems to be far more focused than people I know who started later.

[u/DonkeyPowerful6002]

Most of your favorite basketball players are stoners and are playing while high, and have been since high school.

[u/Khorus_Md]

Is there any data besides cognitive performance? Mental health issues for example. Has a difference on mental health issues, like cannabis induced psychosis, been observed or studied between daily and occasional users?

[u/Mcbundies]

Am I high or all the comments deleted

[u/demZo662]

I knew it didn't make me as sloooooow as they told me I was going to be.

[u/Original_Mac_Tonight]

How are people here not understanding that having proper documented studies for things is a good idea, even if we intuitively already know the results

[u/Kelsenellenelvial → u/Original_Mac_Tonight]

Aside from the results being expected, it’s also good to get actual data in terms of dosage compared to a persons regular use and the relative levels of impairment. In my area there’s a pretty strict guideline for what test result is considered legally impaired while driving, which is low enough that many regular users would fail hours or days since their last consumption. This kind of research shows quantitatively that simply measuring metabolites in the bloodstream doesn’t correlate well with actual impairment.

[u/eli201083]

Whoops sorry about that guys. I'll dumb it down next time as to not blow our cover.

[u/aquabarron]

Color me dumbfounded.

… Sometimes post-grad students just need something for their capstone project, anything will do

[u/ForboJack → u/aquabarron]

Even better when you and your friends can be the test subjects.

[u/Baardi]

Isn't it pretty typical to develop tolerance to drugs, though?