[m0llusk]

It might be interesting to give this more context. Does five points of IQ loss in later life actually change outcomes? And what about the rest? In my experience older cannabis users tend to be more centered, pleasant, easygoing, and are better at retaining their social support networks over long periods. My cannabis use has made my life tolerable, so if there really is a loss in IQ then that might not be such a bad price to pay. Comparing my work history with others my age it really isn't clear that my long term regular cannabis use has made any negative change that isn't visible in others.

It seems like these studies are mostly about confirming bias. People who are judgemental and don't like cannabis can confirm that cannabis users are bad and slow and degraded and so on. But we are still here we need to share the world somehow so it might make sense to think about balance and trade offs rather than only ever keeping the emphasis on no, no, no, you might degrade some of your capacities.

[Llamamoe]

This isn't standalone "five points of IQ loss", this is "brain volume loss culminating in five points of IQ loss among others". 12% hippocampal volume loss is half of what happens in Alzheimer's, it's nothing to scoff at.

Does this imply that cannabis is never worth using and we should "protect" people from it? Probably not, but it's sorely needed in light of the "weed is harmless and a medicine for many" narrative that's getting blasted everywhere.