USA Today recently published a report on the long term affects of marijuana use. Because of its ease to get and a general belief that it is the mildest of all drugs, many teens and adults admit to smoking pot at least once. But new data shows that smoking pot affects neuropsychological functioning, such as hand-eye coordination, reaction time and memory. Heavy marijuana users also have lower IQ scores and are typically less satisfied with their quality of life.

Then there is the ongoing debate about whether or not pot is a "gateway drug".

"...Studies have shown that when regular pot smokers quit, they do experience withdrawal symptoms, a characteristic used to predict addictiveness. Most users of more addictive drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, started with marijuana, scientists say, and the earlier they started, the greater their risk of becoming addicted. Many studies have documented a link between smoking marijuana and the later use of "harder" drugs such as heroin and cocaine, but that doesn't necessarily mean marijuana causes addiction to harder drugs."

Read more from USA Today.

Labels: addiction, gateway drugs, marijuana, pot