The short-term effects of cannabis on the brain include a variety of negative consequences that can impact grades and success at school in teenagers. Researchers have found that adolescents who use cannabis did not do as well as their peers who were not using cannabis on tasks requiring attention, learning, memory, and reaction time. This held true even if the cannabis users stopped using for 1 month before the experiment. Teenagers who start using cannabis at a younger age (under 15) perform even more poorly on these tasks than those who start using at an older age. So, what is happening in the brain to cause this decreased performance?
As mentioned above, the endocannabinoid system in the brain is still developing throughout adolescence. While its role in the brain is not yet entirely understood, we know that the endocannabinoid system strengthens important connections and weakens unimportant ones in areas of the brain that are critical for learning and memory. Using cannabis while this system is still developing may explain the problems with thinking, paying attention, and learning that are seen in teenagers who use cannabis.

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