The findings of the study, published [pdf] in the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, show that the subjects who engaged in chronic marijuana use did not exhibit more risks of developing physical and mental health issues during their mid-30s. With the more availability of this drug, there has been a serious concern which was increasing day by due, as the teens who are using it illegally or getting easy access may have long-term health consequences. The University of Pittsburgh medical center psychology research fellow goes on to say, in a news release from the American Psychological Association, “There were no differences in any of the mental or physical health outcomes that we measured regardless of the amount or frequency of marijuana used during adolescence”.
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A study conducted by scientists from Rutgers University in collaboration with scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center indicates that consuming marijuana in adolescence does not cause problems in adulthood. Based on some prior studies, they expected to find a link between teen marijuana use and the later development of psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, etc.), cancer, asthma or respiratory problems, but they found none. It was also theorized that marijuana had links to anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure, allergies, and other ailments.
This study examined more than 400 males in the Pittsburgh area from the ages of 14 to 36. The breakdown was about 54 percent black, 42 percent white, and 4 percent other. This finding is said to be specifically outstanding because those who were categorized under the chronic users group have an average marijuana use of once per week during their late teenage years and persisted with the habit in a rate of about three to four times per week when they were 20-26 years old.
In the study 408 adult men were split into four groups according to the cannabis consumption when they were teenagers.
The researchers controlled for other factors that could have influenced the findings, including cigarette smoking, other illicit drug use, and participants’ access to health insurance.
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Marijuana policymakers and stakeholders need to consider the results of any single study in the context of the larger body of work on the potential adverse consequences of early onset chronic marijuana use.”
