A longitudinal study
led by the University of Queensland in collaboration with
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University
of Melbourne has found that regular cannabis use has harmful
effects regardless of the age a person starts using
it.
The research – published
in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review – followed
1792 Australian high school students aged 15 in 1992, and
investigated their patterns of cannabis use across twenty
years.
It found that by the age of 35, those who had
regularly used cannabis in their early 20s were far more
likely to engage in high-risk alcohol consumption, not have
a job, and be daily smokers. They were also 20x more likely
to use illicit substances, and 60% more likely to not be in
a stable relationship. There was also a higher risk of
depression.
The study authors said: “Two-thirds of
people who use cannabis regularly started use in their early
20s. Because adult-onset is a lot more common than
adolescent on-set, most of the harms associated with
cannabis are in fact in the group who begin later on. Those
who began regular use as a young adult accounted for the
highest proportion of subsequent illicit drug use and
tobacco use in the population, and a much higher proportion
of high-risk drinking.”
Dr…
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A longitudinal study
led by the University of Queensland in collaboration with
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University
of Melbourne has found that regular cannabis use has harmful
effects regardless of the age a person starts using
it.
The research – published
in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review – followed
1792 Australian high school students aged 15 in 1992, and
investigated their patterns of cannabis use across twenty
years.
It found that by the age of 35, those who had
regularly used cannabis in their early 20s were far more
likely to engage in high-risk alcohol consumption, not have
a job, and be daily smokers. They were also 20x more likely
to use illicit substances, and 60% more likely to not be in
a stable relationship. There was also a higher risk of
depression.
The study authors said: “Two-thirds of
people who use cannabis regularly started use in their early
20s. Because adult-onset is a lot more common than
adolescent on-set, most of the harms associated with
cannabis are in fact in the group who begin later on. Those
who began regular use as a young adult accounted for the
highest proportion of subsequent illicit drug use and
tobacco use in the population, and a much higher proportion
of high-risk drinking.”
Dr…
