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Study: Moderate Cannabis Use by Teens Does Not Result in Lower IQ or Test Scores

Julie Kent

The Cleveland Leader

Friday 24 Oct 2014

According to the results of a large study of schoolchildren in the United Kingdom, moderate cannabis use among teens may not lead to a lower IQ and poorer exam results.

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children followed 2,612 children born in the Bristol area in 1991 and 1992. The study's authors warn that teens who use marijuana regularly, which is defined as at least 50 times by the age of 15, may tend to do worse in exams.

Children participating in the study had their IQ tested at age 8 and age 15, when they were also given a survey on cannabis use. Researchers also looked at examination results to analyze whether cannabis use affected intellectual or educational performance.

Claire Mokrysz, the study's lead researcher who hails from the University College London, said that the study's findings suggest that marijuana "may not have detrimental effect on cognition", once other factors such as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are taken into account.

Mokrysz explained that the results "may suggest that previous research findings showing poorer cognitive performance in cannabis users may have resulted from the lifestyle, behavior, and personal history typically associated with cannabis use, rather than cannabis use itself." She added:

"People often believe that using cannabis can be very damaging to intellectual ability in the long-term, but it is extremely difficult to separate the direct effects of cannabis from other potential explanations.

Adolescent cannabis use often goes hand in hand with other drug use, such as alcohol and cigarette smoking, as well as other risky lifestyle choices. It's hard to know what causes what - do kids do badly at school because they are smoking weed, or do they smoke weed because they're doing badly? This study suggests it is not as simple as saying cannabis is the problem.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/23301

 

 

 

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