More research confirms what addiction experts already know: Smoking pot is a big deal, and especially if you start at a young age.
A new study by Université de Montréal researchers found that smoking marijuana at the start of your teens ups your risk of having a drug abuse problem by age 28 by a whopping 68 percent. The odds were reduced by 31 percent for each year of delayed onset of cannabis use in adolescence, noted the researchers.
While the frequency with which study participants consumed cannabis and other drugs played a role, those who started before age 15 were at higher risk regardless of consumption rates. And these rates may even be higher, considering that the potency of cannabis products increased over the last two decades, said researchers.
What’s more, the study revealed that the earlier boys were involved in gangs, drank alcohol, got into fights, stole or vandalized property, the earlier they used cannabis and the higher their odds of having drug abuse issues by 28. Those who started drinking at 17 were also at an increased risk for an alcohol problem at 28.
These findings make it even more important to take steps to prevent or reduce cannabis use as early as possible, noted the researchers. "It may be important to implement these programs by the end of elementary school to prevent early onset of cannabis use," said UdM doctoral student Charlie Rioux, who conducted the study under the supervision of professors Natalie Castellanos-Ryan and Jean Séguin. "Since peer influence and delinquency were identified as early risk factors for earlier cannabis onset and adult drug abuse, targeting these risk factors in prevention programs may be important, especially since prevention strategies working on the motivators of substance use have been shown to be effective."
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