By Kennedy Kosikowski, Student Pharmacist and Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist
On behalf of ONU Healthwise Pharmacy 

Land of Confusion is a song released in 1986 by the British rock band Genesis. The song was on their thirteenth studio album titled Invisible Touch. At the time, the members of Genesis included Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. Land of Confusion was written by Mike Rutherford.  Genesis was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Could cannabis be leading to a land of confusion?

More and more states are making cannabis, known as marijuana, legal for people to use recreationally. This means it is easier for people to buy it at special stores called dispensaries. As of May 2025, 39 of 50 states have legalized medical marijuana with 24 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 U.S. territories legalizing recreational marijuana. This includes the state of Ohio. 

While this is seen as a good thing by some, a new study published in 2025 in JAMA Network Open provided evidence that using cannabis heavily might cause some problems, especially with thinking clearly.

In this study, 1003 people between the ages of 22 and 37 were tested. They had to take a urine test and answer questions about how often they use cannabis. The people were divided into three groups: people who used cannabis less than 10 times in their lifetime (non-users), people who used it between 11 and 999 times (moderate lifetime users), and people who used it more than 1,000 times (heavy lifetime users). They responded to a question about whether they depended on cannabis and when they first tried it.

The study included 470 men and 533 women.  The study was part of the Human Connectome Project. The purpose of this project is to map the human brain with an aim to connect its structure with function and behavior.  The project includes several U.S. universities. 

The researchers tested patients on memory, movement skills and problem-solving. They had the participants do memory tasks while in a magnetic resonance imaging machine (MRI), which imaged how their brains were working. The urine test for marijuana was used as a measure for recent use of cannabis. This allowed the researchers to determine if recent use was an important factor contributing to memory issues. 

The study concluded that those participants who were heavy lifetime users of cannabis (more than 1,000 times) had lower brain activity associated with working memory, which is information stored for a short time in order to solve a problem or complete a task.

The study provided evidence showing recent cannabis use was associated with poorer performance related to motor tasks as well. Motor tasks are activities requiring a coordinated effort of muscles to perform a task such as reaching for an object or driving a car. 

Interestingly, the research showed that individuals who were heavy users who had not used cannabis recently had better brain function than those who tested positive for recent marijuana use.

This suggests taking a break from cannabis before needing to focus might help reduce confusion and provide clearer thinking. The study demonstrated taking a break for two to four weeks from marijuana use could improve memory. It is important to know that if you stop using cannabis after heavy use, you might feel physical symptoms like anxiety or trouble sleeping for about a week.

If you use cannabis and find it hard to remember things or think clearly, it might help to take a break from it before doing something that requires more thinking and memory. Just remember, if you stop using cannabis, you might feel some uncomfortable symptoms for a week.

Reducing cannabis use can improve the land of confusion!

For more information contact ONU HealthWise Pharmacy at 419-722-3784.