Effects - Learning gross motor skills and cannabis - A new approach

[Richi]

This is an experiment that took place.

An individual wanted to learn how to snowboard, and had never done it before. He had never skied either, or any alpine sport for that matter. No skateboarding experience, no surfing, no ice skating.
He went snowboarding with 3 friends who had all been snowboarding for several years. All 4 of these individuals have had a few years of experience with cannabis use.

The individual proceeded to smoke a lot of cannabis, strap on a snowboard, and take a chair lift up to the top of a smaller hill. He had a helmet on for safety. He went up with one of the 3 other experienced snowboarders, who also smoked a fair amount of cannabis.
He was told that if he does exactly what he is told, he will successfully get off of the chair lift without falling. He was told that he has to stand up, put his foot on his board, and bend his knees to keep his balance. Then he will ride down off of the lift and slow down gradually.


He did exactly what he was told and succeeded with flying colors.


This individual proceeded to learn how to snowboard at an average pace. By the end of the day, he could make it down a decent sized hill without falling, by was not able to carve (switch from one edge to another).

In comparison, there were 3 other individuals who also learned to snowboard for their first time. None of them consumed any drugs prior to their learning experience. They all had varying degrees of alpine sport experience. The individual who consumed marijuana prior to learning did not do any more poorly than the 3 sober individuals.

On getting off of the lift, he excelled among the group. It was found that one other individual had difficulty letting go of the lift, following instructions, and trusting their balance. The other two managed to stand up, but then tended to fall once they straitened out and stepped on the snow.

A possible conclusion is that the individual who consumed marijuana took the instructions very literally, which is exactly what one has to do. It is counter-intuitive to keep one's foot on the board, because stepping on the snow seems like a way to catch ones balance. This individual completely dispelled his own inclinations and did what he was told in a very simple, analytical way.