Researchers Solve Longtime Mystery Of How Marijuana Causes Memory Loss

A new study suggests that over-the-counter painkillers like Ibuprofen could prevent two debilitating side effects of marijuana use — learning problems and memory loss — that currently limit the drug's medical value.

In a study published in the journal Cell, researchers say they have pinpointed the molecular pathways responsible for marijuana-induced memory problems.

The high you get from marijuana comes from a chemical called Tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC. The chemical works by interacting with receptors on brain cells called cannabinoid receptors. Cannabinoid receptors are concentrated in many different places in the brain. Their ubiquity is good and bad.

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