A ten-year study of high school students found that teens who use marijuana on a regular basis are more likely to use drugs and to have psychosocial problems as young adults.

• Researchers in Victoria, Australia, followed 1,943 high school students from age 15 to 24 years old.
  
• The teens who used marijuana occasionally had higher risks for alcohol and tobacco dependence, as well for using illegal drugs as young adults.
  
• These teens were also less likely to go on to college.
  
• The ones who used marijuana at least once a week were at the highest risk for later drug use as young adults.
  
• The researchers concluded that marijuana use in adolescence is a predictor of later drug use and educational problems.

The study appeared in the Journal of Psychiatry.

Labels: teen_drug_use, marijuana, pot

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The 2008 Monitoring the Future report, which tracks drug use among teenagers and pre-teens, found that prescription drugs and marijuana are still common substances of abuse among young Americans. The study also reported a drop in the number of eighth graders who perceive marijuana as a dangerous drug.

As a result of this and other findings, the website Café Prevention has announced a series of new drug abuse prevention materials that are aimed at young people:

"Café Prevention is pleased to announce the arrival of new hard-hitting, creative and very affordable prevention materials designed specifically to address prescription, over-the-counter, and marijuana use by youth. These drug prevention materials provide factual and user-friendly information to help one's city, county, school, youth organization or congregation tackle these issues."

Café Prevention's updated materials can be used as part of an overall community-based program that is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use.

Labels: pot, prescription_drugs

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A study by the University of Mississippi has discovered that today's marijuana is almost twice as strong as it was 25 years ago.

Over the past 33 years, researchers at UM have studied more than 65,000 samples of marijuana seized by law enforcement personnel in all 50 U.S. states. Since 1975, the amount of Tetrahydracannibinol (THC) in the studied marijuana consistently increased, reaching a 30-year high between 2007 and 2008.

Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the findings are worrisome because high levels of THC increase the risk of mental impairment and addiction, especially among young people.

Read more http://www.adolescent-substance-abuse.com/marijuana-potency.html.

Labels: marijuana, pot, potency

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A team of researchers out of Johns Hopkins University have found that withdrawal symptoms from marijuana are similar to symptoms experienced from nicotine withdrawal. The findings are based on a self-reporting study of 12 heavy users of both marijuana and cigarettes.

"Since the drafting of the SDM-IV in 1994, an increasing number of studies have surfaced suggesting that cannabis has significant withdrawal symptoms. What makes Vandrey's recent study unique is that it is the first study that compares marijuana withdrawal symptoms to withdrawal symptoms that are clinically recognized by the medical community..."

Results of the study also indicate that withdrawal effects need to be considered when clinicians treat heavy marijuana users. Read more at ScienceDaily.com.

Worried that your child is experimenting with drugs and alcohol? Visit our page on the Signs of Teen Alcohol or Drug Use to learn more.

Labels: marijuana, pot, withdrawal

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German researchers have found that regularly smoking marijuana or hashish doubles the risk of developing schizophrenia, a severe mental illness.

Dr. Peter Falkai, reporting to the German Society of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology, found that marijuana consumption among those who are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia advances the onset of the disease by about eight years.

Many mental diseases, including schizophrenia and bi-polar disease, usually first appear during adolescence.

The Aspen Institute of Behavioral Assessment is the premiere residential treatment center to asses your child for a variety of conditions including: self harm propensity, depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse.

Once the Aspen Institute conducts all of the assessments necessary they provide a fully integrated diagnostic and treatment program for your child. Learn more about The Aspen Institute of Behavioral Assessment online.

Labels: pot, adolescence, mental_health

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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: marijuana, pot, addiction, gateway drugs

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