Pot smoking not tied to middle-age mental decline

Reuters reports:

Middle-aged adults whose memories have grown hazy can't blame occasional pot smoking or other light illicit drug use for their forgetfulness, according to a British study, although experts warn heavy, prolonged use could harm mental functions.

The study, carried in the American Journal of Epidemiology, tested the mental function and memory of nearly 9,000 Britons at age 50 and found that those who had used illegal drugs as recently as in their 40s did just as well, or slightly better, on the tests than peers who had never used drugs.

Marijuana was by far the most common indulgence for the participants -- who were surveyed at age 42 about current or past drug use, then tested at age 50 -- with six percent saying they had used it in the past year, while one-quarter said they had ever used it.

Imagine that.