For years using marijuana as a painkiller has been frowned upon mostly due to its short term memory loss characteristics. However a recent research could change all that. Scientists have figured out how marijuana causes memory loss. According to the recent study marijuana hinders a signalling mechanism between neurons and non-neuronal cells in the brain called astrocytes. Previously astrocytes had been considered nothing more than support cells that protect neurons. In the United States various states prescribe medicinal marijuana though there is a raging debate about it. Regularly smoking marijuana over a number of years can affect your short-term memory researchers