A Narco Polo comic by former inner-city teacher and public defender, Rob Arthur. Here’s a snippet from Rob’s website:

The Science

One way in which creativity can be described is the ability to find new and novel connections between concepts. In scientific terms the ability to find connections between words is called semantic priming. A 2010 study published in Psychiatry Research found that the use of marijuana induces a state of hyper-priming. (9) When presented with an activation word, subjects reacted faster to distantly-related words when high than when sober. (For a neuroscience journalist’s take on this study go here.) The flow of loose associations promoted by marijuana is a real phenomenon.

Credit goes to Jason Silva for introducing me to this study. His article on marijuana’s “butterfly effect” on thought can be found here.

Marijuana Promotes Creativity: The Evidence

(via Boing Boing )

Yeeah ! I can think about incredible ideas, connect concepts with complex theories.. Too bad I can’t remember any of them.

Some people are naturally creative, though, and don’t need assistance. “Having insights” while smoking marijuana is meaningless. I have insights on the toilet, but that doesn’t mean the toilet itself gives me ideas.

@ Kelly

Not really the same thing.  Sitting on a toilet doesnt disrupt the senses, or make the brain work in a different way.  Weed does, so there is a cause/effect when it comes to creativity while stoned.  Nobody is saying “smoke weed and you’ll be smarter / more creative” but it can be a useful tool to help you look at a problem a different way, or approach a creative endeavor from a different point of view.

@ Tony

I have had quite a few senses disrupted & my brain has certainly worked in a different way after some episodes on the crapper…

Norman Mailer, Brian Wilson, and… Alanis Morissette? Really?

Horseshit. Talking as a “creative professional” and as an ex-pothead, pot won´t do much good for creativity. What CAN help for creativity is the relaxation and free association which can be attributed to pot, but you don´t need pot to achieve that.
There´s no short cuts and whatever cool ideas you get while high are either complete rubbish or you are most likely gonna forget them within a minute.

+1 for Volle.

There may not be clear evidence that smoking dope makes you more creative, but there is clear evidence that it makes the smoker BELIEVE they are more creative - at least, while they’re high….

Wait, Kevin Smith is considered an artist now? I missed the memo that sexist, unfunny comedies are art, I suppose

The Jon Stewart character in the movie with that guy who left his successful tv show to go to Africa.

Uh….  <swwwwfffft>

@anytime you may awaken from your pipedreams and still maintain a contact high

topic related humor

>

http://oi52.tinypic.com/2ih6kk4.jpg

Hey, as RAW said about many things it works for “subunall” (some but not all). Just like any outside stimulant (coffee, LSD, religion etc..) Pot can help an already creative person find new insights.
It might be interesting to see this same kind of inference made for Coffee or Beer, remember JS Bach wrote the Coffee Cantata and claimed this drug to be a great aid to his creativity. I do not think anyone would debate the power of coffee to inspire.
And where would the great Homer (Simpson) be without Beer which he called “the cause of and solution to all our problems”.

@ Volle, “horseshit”

You’ll have to excuse me if I go with Brian Wilson’s opinion on creativity related matters as opposed to those of reactionary blog commenters.

I’m not a pothead myself, but I think it’s hilarious how uptight everyone gets anytime positive effects of drugs are mentioned on this blog.

Brett, please don´t pass judgment on people you don´t know. Am I reactionary just because I don´t think pot enhances creativity? I believe ALL drugs should be legalized, but excuse me for not joining the cannabis-is-great-bandwagon. It´s not. I would know.

There are no shortcuts to creativity and pot usually leads to sitting around on your ass eating chips.

And quit the namecalling. Of any labels you could have put on me, “reationary” hurts the most.

Good call on Brian Wilson, he was doing fucking SWELL for the most of the 70´s and 80´s.

Marijuana promotes creativity if you are already creative. It focuses your mind on a task at hand and vastly lowers the boredom threshold. So for a gifted musician like Brian Wilson, I presume smoking pot helped him knuckle down and write/record Pet Sounds in a short space of time. Had he not already been incredibly talented, pot would not have made him so.

As for some of the other people on this list, sheesh! There are LOTS of marijauna smokers to choose from:

Neil Young > Richard Ashcorft
Grace Jones > Alanis Morisette
Todd Rundgren > Tom Robbins
Robert Altman > Kevin Smith

For everyone of those, there are hundreds where pot has completely impeded their creativity, making them couch potatoes with bongs. Believe me, I´ve known plenty.

Pot and self-delusion tho. People can FEEL creative, but the pot usually fucks up any dicipline needed to pull an artistic project through.

As I said earlier, what CAN help for creativity is the relaxation and free association which can be attributed to pot, but you don´t need pot to achieve that.

Creative people are creative. Drugs are drugs.

It only seems ‘creative’ because it isn’t logical. Much like when you’re half asleep, or asleep upon waking. Your senses are dull and whimsical that you’ll believe whatever you feel without presumption. The reason why weed is such a popular herb is because it tears you apart from your common senses and makes you act extemporary. Personally, I believe people think it’s too hard to be profound and think with an extraordinary amount of depth that they need certain buffs to touch on those hidden abilities. But the reality of it is that with a controlled mind, there are restrictions that you lay out yourself because of levelheadedness and anticipation.

I think it is about time to come to a better understanding exactly how marijuana can enhance our ability for creative insights:
http://sebastianmarincolo.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/marijuana-insights-myth-or-reality/