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Study: Older Adults With a History of Cannabis Use Exhibit Superior Cognitive Performance Compared to Non-Users
Haifa, Israel: Older adults with a history of cannabis use exhibit superior cognitive performance and slower age-related declines in executive function, according to data published in the journal Age and Ageing.
Israeli researchers assessed cognitive performance in a cohort of more than 67,000 adults (mean age: 67 years old).
Compared to non-users, participants with a history of cannabis use “performed better across all cognitive domains: attention, executive function, processing speed, visual and working memory. … Additionally, past use was associated with a slower decline in executive function.”
Positive associations were strongest for former users, while outcomes were less consistent among current cannabis consumers.
“Findings from our cross-sectional analyses show that participants with cannabis use experience performed better across all cognitive assessments compared to those without,” researchers reported. “These associations were primarily driven by participants with former use experience, while current use experience showed a more limited association, reaching significance only for working memory tasks. Similarly, our longitudinal analysis demonstrated a slower cognitive decline among former users, with no significant associations observed for current users.”
The study’s authors concluded: “While cognitive harms are often assumed among older cannabis users, our results suggest a more nuanced picture. … These findings may support balanced messaging that informs decisions, reduces age-related cannabis stigma and promotes clinician–patient dialogue on therapeutic cannabis.”
Separate longitudinal data published last year similarly concluded that older adults with a history of cannabis use exhibit “statistically significant less cognitive decline compared to non-users.”
Full text of the study, “History of cannabis use and cognitive function in older adults: Findings from the UK biobank,” appears in Age and Ageing.
Federal: Lawmakers Approve Funding Bill Restricting Sales of Certain Hemp-Derived Intoxicating Products
Washington, DC: Federal lawmakers have negotiated and finalized legislation to fund the US Department of Agriculture that includes amended provisions recriminalizing the sale of certain hemp-derived intoxicating products. The appropriations bill is one of three separate funding bills that were included in a package to reopen the government until January 30, 2026.
The provisions – which were advocated by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), among others – target products containing delta-8 THC and similar compounds, as well as products that are synthetically derived from hemp. Specifically, the bill redefines federally legal hemp products as only those containing no more than either 0.3 percent or 0.4 milligrams of THC or other cannabinoids that produce similar effects, including THCA. In addition, it criminalizes “any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products which are marketed or sold as a final product or directly to an end consumer for personal or household use” as well as products that are produced following chemical synthesis, such as those high in delta-8 THC content.
Although delta-8 THC occurs organically in the cannabis plant, it is typically only produced in nominal quantities. By contrast, the elevated amounts of delta-8 THC present in commercially available products are typically the result of a chemical synthesis during which manufacturers convert hemp-derived CBD to delta-8 THC.
While the revised language is not explicitly intended to target hemp-derived CBD products marketed as non-intoxicating products, some industry advocates fear that these products will also ultimately be banned by the legislation because many of them contain trace levels of THC.
An effort by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to strike the amended language failed on the Senate floor, as did a similar effort in the House by Rep. Tom Massie (R-KY). A spokesperson for the White House previously acknowledged that President Trump “supports” the revisions to the 2018 hemp law, despite the President having signed the bill into law seven years ago.
The revised federal language will take effect in one year after its passage.
Nearly half of all US states already impose severe restrictions on the retail sale of delta-8 THC and similar products and federal courts have repeatedly upheld these bans.
NORML has consistently urged the FDA to establish regulatory guidelines governing the production, testing, labeling, and marketing of hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoid products, but has argued against recriminalizing them.
“Federally recriminalizing the hemp-derived marketplace will neither reduce consumers’ demand for these products nor increase consumers’ safety,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said.
Federal: Lawmakers Approve Military Funding Bill Denying Veterans’ Access to Medical Cannabis
Washington, DC: Federal lawmakers finalized and approved military funding legislation upholding federal rules barring VA doctors from recommending medical cannabis to veterans. The MilCon (Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies) appropriations bill is one of three separate funding bills that were included in a package to reopen the government until January 30, 2026.
Initial versions of the bill previously approved by the House and Senate included language repealing the longstanding ban. That language would have, for the first time, permitted VA doctors to explicitly issue medical cannabis authorizations in jurisdictions where it is legal to do so. However, leadership elected to remove those provisions in conference committee.
In 2018, Congressional leadership removed similar provisions from the military spending bill at the eleventh hour.
According to polling data provided earlier this year, most military veterans and their family members believe that the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide medical cannabis treatment to eligible patients. Seventy-five percent of veterans say that they “would be interested in using cannabis or cannabinoid products as a treatment option if it were available.”
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano criticized lawmakers’ decision to continue this federal prohibition. “This decision by leadership is a disservice to both veterans, many of whom desire medical cannabis access, and their doctors, many of whom want to facilitate their patients’ access to these state-regulated products,” he said. “Many veterans suffer from chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, and sleep disturbances – conditions that can be effectively treated with medical cannabis. Reducing barriers so that more veterans can participate in state-legal medical marijuana programs will improve lives and ensure that these patients are securing lab-tested cannabis products from state-licensed facilities rather than from the unregulated market.”
Gallup: Nearly Two-Thirds of Adults Favor Legalizing Marijuana, but Support Dips Among Republicans
Washington, DC: Nearly two out of three US adults say that “the use of marijuana should be legal,” according to nationwide polling data compiled by Gallup.
That percentage represents a slight dip from 2024 data, when 68 percent of respondents backed legalization. The percentage change was primarily driven by declining support among Republicans – only 40 percent of whom endorse marijuana legalization.
By contrast, 85 percent of Democrats support legalization – a near all-time high, as do 66 percent of Independents.
Historically, Republicans have been less likely than either Democrats or Independents to express support for legalization. In 2023, 55 percent of Republicans endorsed legalizing marijuana, the highest percentage ever.
According to Gallup, marijuana legalization has enjoyed majority support among Americans since 2013.
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