How Marijuana Can Help You Study – The new academic year has begun, and students around the world are struggling with the ever-present question of how to handle the pressure of study. As the social stigma around cannabis is loosening and legalization is expanding, many young people, including students, are finding the answer in weed.
In the U.S., for instance, the popularity of cannabis in college has reached levels not seen since the ‘80s, with 40% of students using marijuana in the past year according to a 2021 survey by Monitoring the Future.
While the idea of lighting up before a lecture or a big exam may sound seducing to some, we at Herbies Seeds aim to look into how marijuana affects our ability to learn and what science says about it.
Please note: this piece comes with the caveat that cannabis studies have often been influenced by negative biases surrounding pot. Scientists agree that more research is needed, and we hope that now that weed is becoming much less of a risk factor, we’ll get to learn more about it.
Marijuana And The Brain
Advances in technology have allowed researchers to discover that THC affects several parts of the brain. These include the hippocampus, an area associated with memory and emotions, and the prefrontal cortex – the brain’s “command center” responsible for short-term working memory and functions such as attention, planning, and problem-solving.
Can Marijuana Boost Creativity?
Many users claim that pot helps them unleash their imagination or break through writer’s block. Study-wise, getting your creative juices flowing could help with assignments that demand thinking outside the box. However, the data on cannabis and creativity are fairly mixed. The theory is that cannabis can improve frontal lobe activity by increasing cerebral blood flow to this area. Neuroscientists believe that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for many of the functions that contribute to creative thinking.
In practice, people who don’t consider themselves creative appear to benefit quite dramatically from cannabis, while “creative whizzes”, not so much. This can be described as a “plateau of creativity” – non-creative people are better poised to make big gains while high than creative people who’ve already made them.
Ultimately, as with many things cannabis-related, when it comes to boosting your imagination, much depends on your personal makeup. Some people might discover that weed opens a portal to creativity, while others may find that it dulls their thinking and clouds judgment.
How Marijuana Can Help You Study
Our academic achievements don’t depend solely on cognitive processes such as memory and attention. A number of other factors, including anxiety levels, sleep, and social support also play a role in how well we do at school or college.
This is where marijuana could be of help; cannabis has been shown to help users feel more relaxed and bond with their peers, improving social connections. In particular, CBD-rich cannabis improves the social communication abilities of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Cannabis may also be useful in managing the symptoms that accompany ADHD, a common barrier to effective studying for many students. CBD can help reduce anxiety and stress, which is crucial to being able to prepare for important exams. This can, in turn, positively affect concentration. Students with high levels of anxiety are more likely to have trouble focusing, be more hesitant to ask questions in class, and have difficulty remembering information.
Research also shows that THC has sedative effects and can make it easier to fall asleep. This helps restore our natural sleep cycle, which often falls out of sync with our schedules – during crunch time before final exams, for example. Numerous studies have found that poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep affect our learning capacity and academic performance.
Overall, responsible use of cannabis in extracurricular activities can support you on your way to academic success by enhancing your overall quality of life. For example, high-CBD, low-THC strains can clear out your thoughts and improve focus without the high. If this is what you need in your studies, there are a number of strains on the market that may come in handy – all available at Herbies Seeds!
Solomatic Auto CBD (Royal Queen Seeds)
Solomatic Auto CBD produces physically relaxing and slightly soothing effects that relieve pain, stress, and anxiety while maintaining a clear head. With a CBD to THC ratio of 21:1 and very subtle effects, this Indica-dominant hybrid is designed for those who love the great flavor of cannabis but don’t want the high.
CBD Auto 20:1 (Fast Buds)
CBD Auto 20:1 is a CBD-heavy strain that offers a variety of therapeutic properties, alleviating pains and disorders with only mild psychoactive effects. This strain is popular among medicinal and recreational users for alleviating tension, anxiety, and insomnia.
CBD Lemon Auto (Herbies Seeds)
Rewarding yourself after studying provides that extra motivation you need to continue – and there’s no better reward than Herbies Seeds’ CBD Lemon Auto. With 17% THC and 17% CBD, you’ll get all the healing and relaxation you need without a single anxious thought.
How Marijuana Can Help You Study: this content is for informational purposes only and is not a specific recommendation or endorsement. The information provided is based on research gathered from external sources.
