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Humans

People feel more creative after using cannabis – they aren't

There is no strong evidence that taking cannabis improves our ingenuity, although it does make users feel more creative

By Joanna Thompson

24 November 2023

Users may feel cannabis boosts their creativity

Users may feel cannabis boosts their creativity

Shutterstock/Agave Photo Studio

“Write drunk, edit sober,” goes the famous saying that is often – probably apocryphally – attributed to Ernest Hemingway. It is debatable whether that is sound advice with any substance, but when that notion is applied to cannabis use, it is almost certainly a bad idea.

Research into the connection between cannabis and creativity has found no evidence that the drug boosts ingenuity. But it does make people who use it feel good, which in turn makes them perceive their ideas – and others’ –…

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