Stuff co.nz 14 February 2019
Family First Comment: “This group of cannabis users represents approximately 5 to 10 per cent of the adolescent population, with these individuals being at significantly increased risk of co-occurring mental health and substance use problems, as well as engaging in anti-social behaviour. Furthermore, individuals in this group will also display higher levels of risk-taking in general, and are more likely to leave school early.”
Smoking cannabis as a teenager increases the risk of depression and suicide during young adulthood, according to a new study.
Individual risk remains moderate to low, but because so many teens are smoking cannabis, there is potential for large numbers of young people to be affected, according to findings published in the JAMA Psychiatryjournal on Thursday.
However the researchers, led by Gabriella Gobbi from McGill University, Canada, didn’t find a link between marijuana use and increased risk of anxiety.
The team said their findings highlight the importance of efforts aimed at educating teenagers about the risks of using marijuana. “This is an important public health problem and concern, which should be properly addressed by health care policy,” they wrote.
Cannabis is the world’s most widely used illicit drug, with 3.8% of the global population having used cannabis in the past year.
Marijuana is commonly used by many teenagers worldwide, but not much has previously known about how that use might impact mood and risk of suicide later in life.
For this review, the scientists analysed the combined the results of 11 studies with about 23,300 people and found marijuana use during adolescence before age 18 was associated with increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts or attempts during young adulthood between the ages of 18 and 32.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/110580068/smoking-cannabis-as-a-teen-increases-risk-of-depression-and-suicide-as-a-young-adult-says-study?cid=app-iPhone
