--- title: Marijuana Use Over Years May Affect 'Verbal Memory' description: But it does not cause damage other cognitive functions canonical: https://time.com/4204377/marijuana-verbal-memory/ author: Tara John article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-02T17:30:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T14:41:13.814Z article:section: Health og:title: Marijuana Use Over Years May Affect 'Verbal Memory' og:description: New study links "verbal memory" loss to ... uh ... whatsitsname. Begins with P og:url: https://time.com/4204377/marijuana-verbal-memory/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marijuana Use Over Years May Affect 'Verbal Memory' twitter:description: New study links "verbal memory" loss to ... uh ... whatsitsname. Begins with P twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Marijuana Use Over Years May Affect Ability to Remember Words by [Tara John](https://time.com/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Feb 2, 2016 5:30 PM UTC by [Tara John](https://time.com/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Feb 2, 2016 5:30 PM UTC People who smoke marijuana over time may have trouble remembering words on a list by the time they reach middle age, suggests a new study. The study found long-term use of weed could impact “verbal memory,” or the part of the brain that helps you memorize words or language. However, it did not report impact on other cognitive functions, such as the ability to think quickly, focus or problem-solve, [reports CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-use-may-hurt-memory-in-middle-age/). “This study is timely because marijuana use has increased, and many states have legalized marijuana use or decriminalized its possession,” Deborah Levine, who was part of the research team, [said in a statement](http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201602/long-term-marijuana-use-associated-worse-verbal-memory). “We need to better understand the risks of marijuana use, particularly its effects on brain health, to inform decision making by teenagers and adults as well as policymakers.” The study’s co-author, Reto Auer, who is an academic chief resident at the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, [told CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-use-may-hurt-memory-in-middle-age/) that they were surprised by the findings. Marijuana’s impact on the ability to memorize words appeared to be incremental, which means that “the more you smoke, the lower your verbal memory,” said Auer . He stressed that the results were “only associations,” and not proof of cause and effect. Researchers studied men and woman over a span of 25 years starting when they were young adults. Their [findings were published in _JAMA Internal Medicine_](http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201602/long-term-marijuana-use-associated-worse-verbal-memory). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4204377/marijuana-verbal-memory/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4204377/marijuana-verbal-memory/"},"headline":"Marijuana Use Over Years May Affect Ability to Remember Words","datePublished":"2016-02-02T17:30:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:41:13.814Z","description":"New study finds \"verbal memory\" loss linked to pot","url":"https://time.com/4204377/marijuana-verbal-memory/","keywords":["Marijuana","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tara John","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tara-john/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/marijuana/","name":"Marijuana"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4204377/marijuana-verbal-memory/","name":"Marijuana Use Over Years May Affect Ability to Remember Words"}}]}] ```