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Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Unlike Adult Use, Teen Pot Smoking Causes Long-Term Damage

Adolescents who smoke pot regularly may suffer long-term problems, including permanent brain damage. However, according to a study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the same isn't true for adult smokers.

Also, there's an increased risk of youth smokers developing serious psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. The new research, which attempts to lay out the long-term side effects of adolescent marijuana smoking, was conducted on mice.

"Children who start around pre-adolescence, 13-15 years of age, tend to develop very severe deficits and these include a very high incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and attention deficit disorders, as well as, long- term permanent reductions in intelligence as measured by IQ tests," says Asaf Keller, a professor of anatomy and neurobiology with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the senior author of the study.

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3 comments:

  1. The true "Long Term Damage", Is the young are driving up the prices.

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  2. I'm certainly not in favor or teen drug use or of heavy use of mind altering substances. Yet I am wondering if this study really differentiates between correlation and causation? I.e., are kids with mental health issues, kids with intellectual deficits that cause poor performance in school, etc. more likely to self medicate with drugs? I think the answer is a resounding YES.

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