A Systematic Review of the Neurocognitive Effects of Cannabis Use in Older Adults
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Purpose of review Older adults currently represent the fastest growing demographic of cannabis users, yet few studies have investigated the effects of cannabis use on cognitive functioning in aging. We conducted a systematic review of the recent literature examining cognitive outcomes associated with cannabis use in older adults, with and without neurocognitive disorders, to clarify the potential neuroprotective benefits and risks of cognitive decline in this population. Recent findings We identified 26 studies examining cognitive outcomes associated with medical and recreational use of cannabis in healthy aging, dementia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and pain populations. Although variability in the cannabis products used, outcomes assessed, and study quality limits the conclusions that can be made, modest reductions in cognitive performance were generally detected with higher doses and heavier lifetime use. Summary This review highlights the need for additional high-quality research using standardized, validated assessments of cannabis exposure and cognitive outcomes. Reliable measures and longitudinal data are necessary to better characterize the effects of cannabis use on cognitive aging, as well as differential effects of recreational and medical cannabis.
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There is preliminary evidence of cognitive impulsivity and poorer verbal memory and visual recognition in older studies of recreational cannabis users.
“There is preliminary evidence of cognitive impulsivity and poorer verbal memory and visual recognition in older studies of recreational users [28].”
From Cannabis, cannabinoids and health: a review of evidence on risks and medical benefits (2025) · cites this paper as [28]
The Results > Aging section (page unavailable) reports modest verbal-memory deficits associated with heavy cannabis use. It also reports an association between problematic use and impulsivity symptoms in men, but that survey did not analyze older adults separately or establish cognitive impulsivity. The passages do not report poorer visual recognition in recreational users. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredCognitive performance was generally not affected by age, although cognitive impairments were worse in older people with psychosis (e.g., cognitive impulsivity, verbal memory, visual recognition).
“Cognitive performance was generally not affected by age, although cognitive impairments were worse in older people with psychosis (e.g., cognitive impulsivity, verbal memory, visual recognition) [28].”
From Cannabis, cannabinoids and health: a review of evidence on risks and medical benefits (2025) · cites this paper as [28]
The Results > Aging section discusses cannabis use, verbal memory, and cognitive change over time, but not whether age generally affects cognitive performance in people with psychosis. Searches for psychosis, cognitive impulsivity, and visual recognition found no passage addressing the claimed pattern of worse impairment in older people with psychosis. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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Therapeutic Cannabis and Older Adults
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Cannabis in the older population
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- Authors
- Scott, E. P., Brennan, E., & Benitez, A.
- Affiliations
- Medical University of South Carolina (US)
- Corresponding author
- Benitez, Andreana
- Venue
- Current Addiction Reports
- Published
- 2019-10-22
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 443-455
- ISSN
- 2196-2952 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7259587
- OpenAlex
- W2981984500
- Cited by
- 48
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4
- FWCI
- 2.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Current Addiction Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (K23AG044434)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Keywords
- cannabis use, older adults, cognitive aging, neurocognitive decline, dementia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, HIV, pain management, medical cannabis, recreational cannabis, neuroprotection
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