What long-term cannabis use can do to your brain

The negative Nellies here ignoring all the positives from marijuana use.

My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke.  

Don't follow me, I'm not medically trained. 

Dr. Francesca Filbey, director of Cognitive Neuroscience Research in Addictive Disorders at the Center for BrainHealth, led the team that found chronic cannabis users have higher cerebral blood flow and extract more oxygen from brain blood flow than nonusers.

This sounds positive for stroke recovery, now we just need the protocol.

 The negative here: Your doctor can analyze the pros and cons.

What long-term cannabis use can do to your brain

Cannabis use is a topic of fervent debate among researchers. As the drug is being legalized in an increasing number of countries, and as its medicinal properties have come into sharp focus, the experts ask to what extent it and its medicinal derivatives are helpful, and to what extent harmful.

Some use cannabis for recreational purposes, whereas others use cannabis-based drugs or essential oils to relieve chronic pain or treat epilepsy.
Recently, scientists at two academic institutions—Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal and the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom—have conducted a study into long-term use of cannabis and its potential dangers.
The scientists' findings—published in the Journal of Neurochemistry—indicate that there is one important danger: regular cannabis use could impair a person's memory.
Going forward, as cannabis compounds are increasingly legalized and marketed for therapeutic use, we should consider what the downsides of cannabis use may be and how to address them, says study author Ana Sebastião.

Pitting potential harms against benefits

In the new study, Sebastião and colleagues focused on one cannabinoid-like compound called WIN 55,212-2 and observed its effects on the brain.

The researchers worked with a mouse model and found that, after long-term exposure to this drug, the rodents displayed "significant memory impairments." They were actually unable to distinguish between an object that they should have been familiar with and an object newly introduced to them.

By using brain imaging techniques, the researchers also saw that this drug affects brain regions that are involved in processes of learning, storing, and accessing memories.