No matter how much we learn about cannabis, it seems that conversations about weed are always full of stereotypes. One of the classic stereotypes is the lazy, unmotivated, and apathetic stoner. But is this image accurate, or is it just another myth? Could smoking weed cause apathy, or is that just hyperbole? Here’s what the research says.
Cannabis and Dopamine Levels
Most of the research that suggests smoking weed could cause apathy has to do with how weed affects certain brain functions. In particular, how our brains produce and respond to dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that triggers pleasurable sensations in your brain. As it turns out, a couple studies suggest that smoking weed may affect the way your brain responds to dopamine.
A 2013 study found that people who regularly smoke cannabis had lower levels of dopamine in a part of the brain called the striatum.
This has important implications since the striatum is linked to motivation.
Researchers working on this project concluded that decreased dopamine levels in the striatum could lead to a lack of motivation and a general sense of apathy.
“Dopamine is involved in telling the brain when something exciting is about to happen—be it sex, drugs, or rock ‘n’ roll,” said lead researcher Dr. Michael Bloomfield.
“Our findings explain why cannabis has a tendency to make people sit around doing nothing.”
Does Weed Damage Your Brain’s Pleasure Centers?
A year later, in 2014, another study looking at the relationship between weed and dopamine was published. This one generated slightly different conclusions.
In this study, researchers gave a dopamine-producing drug to 24 heavy weed smokers and 24 non-weed users.
Researchers then measured the brain activity of