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

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.