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Executive Functions in Cannabis Users: A Comparative Study

Background: Cannabis is a recreational drug which is used in worldwide despite banned in some areas. It has to influence the effect on our executive functions either improving or damaging. In the research area, there is still a dispute about the adverse effect of this drug on executive functions. Aim: To examine the variation in executive functions of persistent and causal users of cannabis, abstainers, and healthy control. Method: Two hundred seventy cannabis users (of equal number in various group, i.e., persistent cannabis users, casual cannabis users & abstainers) and ninety healthy participants (N=360) from four states of India i.e., Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Chandigarh. Tools: Socioeconomic Status Scale, Stoop Neuropsychological Test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test were administered for attaining the objective of the present study. Results and Discussion: In the results, it has been found that persistent users had highest deficits in the executive functions which were measured with the help of Stroop task and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, persistent users had poor performance on error response, preservative response, preservative error, and conceptual error. Whereas results also showed that abstainers group had the more or less equal performance to healthy control and better than casual and persistent users on cognitive functions. Conclusion: Results of the study suggests that the use of cannabis is associated with deficits in process of the brain, response inhibition, decision making, maintaining the mental set, learning the new concept etc.