Study Finds Marijuana Use Doesn’t Seem to Decrease Activity Levels

A new study finds marijuana use does not appear to decrease people’s activity levels. The findings suggest people who use marijuana may have higher levels of exercise compared with those who don’t, HealthDay reports.

Researchers analyzed data from a national health survey that followed more than 20,000 people from 1994 through 2018. The researchers looked at participants’ exercise patterns between ages 24 to 34, and 34 to 42. The participants were asked whether they used marijuana, and if so, how often. The results showed people who used marijuana were no more or less likely to be active than those who didn’t.

Some measures suggested people who used marijuana exercised more than people who didn’t use the drug. “These findings are at odds with much of the existing literature, which generally shows a negative relationship between marijuana use and exercise,” the researchers wrote.

“Certainly, the image of a marijuana user just sitting on the couch, watching movies, eating popcorn is not accurate,” said lead author Michael French of the Miami Herbert Business School. “There are some of those perhaps, but that’s not borne out in this research.”