Study disputes claims marijuana causes hangovers

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Anti-marijuana pundits continue to lose hollow arguments that don’t hold up to science

When you hear the word “hangover,” you probably think of the horrible headache you feel after drinking too much alcohol. However, for many, liquor isn’t the only thing that can cause a hangover. There has always been a theory that cannabis can also cause this awful morning feeling, although a new study indicates that there is a lack of evidence to prove that this is true.

For naysayers, a marijuana hangover is when you experience lingering effects, such as mental confusion or headache, after the psychoactive effects of marijuana have worn off. It is one of many theories that opponents seek to put on the books to portray cannabis in a negative light.

While alcohol does have ample evidence in this regard, researchers in Australia have found that this is not exactly the case with cannabis. In order to reach this conclusion, a team of Australian researchers closely reviewed data from 20 studies involving nearly 460 subjects.

All of these studies had one common factor; the evaluation of the subjects’ performance within 12 to 24 hours after THC consumption and dosing. In 16 of the 20 studies reviewed, the researchers were unable to identify any evidence of so-called “next-day effects.”

“A small number of lower-quality studies have observed negative (i.e., impairing) ‘next day’ effects of THC on cognitive function and safety-sensitive tasks,” the authors concluded. “However, higher-quality studies, and a large majority of performance tests, have not. Overall, it appears that there is limited scientific evidence to support the assertion that cannabis use impairs ‘next day’ performance.”