Cannabis and creativity: Highly potent cannabis impairs divergent thinking in regular cannabis users

Abstract

Rationale: Cannabis users often claim that cannabis has the potential to enhance their creativity. Research suggests that aspects of creative performance might be improved when intoxicated with cannabis; however, the evidence is not conclusive. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of cannabis on creativity. Methods: We examined the effects of administering a low (5.5 mg delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]) or high (22 mg THC) dose of vaporized cannabis vs. placebo on creativity tasks tapping into divergent (Alternate Uses Task) and convergent (Remote Associates Task) thinking, in a population of regular cannabis users. The study used a randomized, double-blind, between-groups design. Results: Participants in the high-dose group (n∈=∈18) displayed significantly worse performance on the divergent thinking task, compared to individuals in both the low-dose (n∈=∈18) and placebo (n∈=∈18) groups. Conclusions: The findings suggest that cannabis with low potency does not have any impact on creativity, while highly potent cannabis actually impairs divergent thinking.