Researchers spend $400K to study how marijuana use affects college students' grades

Here's a story that brings a whole new meaning to the term "higher learning."

Researchers at the University of Northern Colorado will spend more than $400,000 on a study investigating how marijuana use by college students affects their academic performance. The three-year, $402,249 study - titled "Understanding the Dynamics of College Student Marijuana Use: A Study using EMA (Ecological Momentary Assessment)" and funded by the National Institutes of Health - will involve the testing of 150 college students who are heavy users of marijuana, according to The Denver Post.

"One substance-related factor that gets little attention is craving," the researchers noted in their research summary. "It is possible that greater marijuana craving could lead to more frequent marijuana use, thus impacting not only the cognitive focus of students but also their motivation for academic work."