Adolescents do not benefit from cannabis use. Their chances of success in school are reduced, while the risk of addiction explodes.
Cannabis interferes with academic success, it is a well-known fact. A study published in the Lancet Psychiatry confirms this and quantifies the damage caused by this drug in adolescents. An Australian team reviewed the results of three large longitudinal studies, which included more than 3,700 17-year-olds. They conclude that marijuana degrades the educational status of consumers, and increases the risk of psychiatric illnesses.
7 times more risk of suicide
The damage caused by regular cannabis use, before the age of 17, is more and more marked depending on the frequency. It is, unsurprisingly, daily smokers who pay the heaviest price: the probability that they will complete their education in high school, or that they will obtain a university degree, is reduced by 60%.
“Our results provide strong evidence that preventing or delaying cannabis use can have real social and health benefits,” comments Dr. Edmund Silins, co-author of the study. Because followers of this amazing plant are also 18 times more at risk of addiction to cannabis, while they are seven times more likely to attempt suicide or use other illicit drugs when they reach 30 years.
High risk tolerance
The researchers conclude that governments considering decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis use should exercise caution. “Efforts to reform cannabis laws need to be carefully evaluated to ensure that they reduce adolescent use and prevent its harmful effects on their development,” says Dr Silins. Prof. Merete Nordentoft, of the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), brings the same conclusions in a commentary associated with the study. “Such changes in the law will likely be followed by falling prices and increased consumption, which will translate into more solar and social difficulties for young people, more difficult personal maturation, and an increased risk of psychosis,” she writes.
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