- Adolescent cannabis use at ages 13, 17 and 20, especially almost daily users, associated with reduced sustained attention and visuospatial declarative memory at age 24.
- No associations observed between adolescent cannabis use and spatial working memory at age 24.
- Four distinct adolescent cannabis use trajectories were identified but did not differ in cognitive outcomes after adjustment for confounders.
Int J Ment Health Addict. 2026;24(5):4119-4141. doi: 10.1007/s11469-025-01604-0. Epub 2025 Dec 16.
ABSTRACT
Cannabis use in adolescence has been linked to lower adult cognitive function, but the specific contributions of age of onset and usage frequency remain unclear. This study analyzed data from the Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso; N = 1522) to examine associations between adolescent cannabis use and cognitive performance at young adulthood. Cannabis use frequency was self-reported at six time points between ages 11 and 24. Sustained attention, spatial working memory, and visuospatial declarative memory were assessed at age 24. Regressions, repeated-measures ANOVAs with Helmert contrasts, and latent class growth analyses were conducted, all adjusted for prior cannabis use and key sociodemographic and behavioral confounders. Cannabis use at ages 13, 17, and 20 was linked to reduced attention and declarative memory at age 24, especially among almost daily/daily users. No associations were found with spatial working memory. Four usage trajectories were identified but did not differ in cognitive outcomes. Findings highlight nuanced associations, with early and frequent use linked to poorer cognitive performance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-025-01604-0.
PMID:42859461 | PMC:PMC13652876 | DOI:10.1007/s11469-025-01604-0
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