Marijuana makes for slackers, now there’s evidence

The Wall Street Journal featured research by Catharine Winstanley, a UBC psychology professor, that found THC, a psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana, made rats lazy.

“Whether they were workers or slackers to begin with,” Winstanley reported, “even small amounts of THC made them all slackers.”

After the rats’ brains were analyzed, researchers found those with the greatest reaction to THC also had a greater density of a particular receptor in their anterior cingulate cortex, the area of the brain that’s important for people to prepare to face a challenge and persevere.