Study: Smoking Pot Before Age 15 Ups Risk of Abuse

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."

Sobriety College at Hope Academy

If you are or someone you love is a college student struggling with a a drug or alcohol use disorder, Hope Academy may be the ideal rehab program for you. Our peer-based program provides the safety and support you need to succeed in school and at sobriety. To learn more about our sobriety college, call today: 866-930-4673.

Pot Plus Alcohol Equals Poor Grades

Drinking and smoking pot can cause poor grades for college students, according to a study published in PLOS One, which confirms a notion long-held by addiction experts and educators. 

Researchers at Yale University and the Institute of Living in Hartford, Conn., found that college students who consume medium-to-high levels of alcohol and marijuana have a consistently lower GPA -- not only by the end of the first semester but throughout the two years of the study. 

The authors used data from the Brain and Alcohol Research in College Students study, which tracked 1,142 students for two years after they began college, and self-reported data to cluster them into groups of low users or medium-to-high users of alcohol or both substances.

Those who used marijuana and alcohol heavily in the first semester had a GPA of 2.66 compared to 3.1 for those who used little to no alcohol or pot. Those who drank heavily but didn’t smoke marijuana had an average first semester GPA of 3.03. Students who decreased their substance use over time did show an increase in GPA compared to their peers who continued the same pattern of drug and alcohol use, noted authors.

Hopefully, these results will encourage college health and counseling services to put out more information on the impact that drugs and alcohol have on grades, said Godfrey Pearlson, senior author of the study. “There’s a lot of peer pressure during that first year to drink and use marijuana,” he adds.

Here are some more facts about drinking and smoking marijuana in college, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse:

• People who begin using marijuana before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop a marijuana use disorder than adults.
• About 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder. 
• About one in four college students report academic consequences from drinking, including missing class, falling behind in class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.
• Marijuana is linked to school failure, causing negative effects on attention, memory, and learning.

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults
No matter how severe your addiction, Hope Academy's substance abuse rehab in California can help. Interested young adults attend college courses while they are in rehab, and all participants receive life skills training and customized aftercare to optimize chances of sobriety success. For information, call 866-930-4673.