Marijuana Teens Lower IQ - A new study has found that teens who regularly smoke marijuana have lower IQ scores as adults. They also show symptoms typically associated with this illness. For the study, researchers observed more than 1,000 people in New Zealand for 20 years.
Research linking regular adolescent cannabis use to a drop in IQ shows the drug cannot be taken lightly, experts say.
"Now we finally have some concrete evidence that it does impair brain development," alcohol and drug counsellor Roger Brooking said.
The research looked at about 1000 people, and found marijuana can cause lasting harm to the intelligence, attention and memory of those who start using it before the age of 18 and keep using it for years.
They showed an average decline in IQ of 8 points when their IQ tests at age 13 and age 38 were compared.
Those who started using cannabis as adults did not show similar declines.
Mr Brooking said parents and counsellors could use the evidence to talk youths out of using cannabis.
"The biggest problem I have is that young people think it's totally harmless. All their friends use it."
Evolve drug and alcohol counsellor Megan O'Sullivan said cannabis use among young people affected motivation, leading to problems like truancy.
New Zealand Drug Foundation director Ross Bell said the notion that cannabis was harmless was a popular myth in New Zealand.
"We're talking to people in the field every day, and they are definitely seeing evidence of dependence problems with cannabis. For adolescents who are using it often, the long-term damage is significant."
More resources should go towards preventing and treating drug addiction, Mr Bell said.
The study involved researchers from New Zealand, Britain and the United States analysing data from 1000 people.
The research, published yesterday in the US-based journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used data from more than 1000 people enrolled in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study.
Research linking regular adolescent cannabis use to a drop in IQ shows the drug cannot be taken lightly, experts say.
"Now we finally have some concrete evidence that it does impair brain development," alcohol and drug counsellor Roger Brooking said.
The research looked at about 1000 people, and found marijuana can cause lasting harm to the intelligence, attention and memory of those who start using it before the age of 18 and keep using it for years.
They showed an average decline in IQ of 8 points when their IQ tests at age 13 and age 38 were compared.
Those who started using cannabis as adults did not show similar declines.
Mr Brooking said parents and counsellors could use the evidence to talk youths out of using cannabis.
"The biggest problem I have is that young people think it's totally harmless. All their friends use it."
Evolve drug and alcohol counsellor Megan O'Sullivan said cannabis use among young people affected motivation, leading to problems like truancy.
New Zealand Drug Foundation director Ross Bell said the notion that cannabis was harmless was a popular myth in New Zealand.
"We're talking to people in the field every day, and they are definitely seeing evidence of dependence problems with cannabis. For adolescents who are using it often, the long-term damage is significant."
More resources should go towards preventing and treating drug addiction, Mr Bell said.
The study involved researchers from New Zealand, Britain and the United States analysing data from 1000 people.
The research, published yesterday in the US-based journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used data from more than 1000 people enrolled in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study.
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