Smoking marijuana regularly as a teen may lower IQ scores as an adult

Bad news for teens who smoke marijuana 20 times a month or more. The adolescent brain is still developing and is vulnerable.


Teens who smoke marijuana frequently are more likely to experience a long-term drop in their IQ, according to a new study.

That could be a potential pitfall for millions of teens, given recent estimates show about one in 10 teens in grades nine through 12 smoke marijuana at least 20 times per month. The researchers however didn't find the same IQ dip for people who became frequent users of pot after 18, suggesting pot use is especially dangerous for the developing brain.

Tags: marijuana, permanent IQ loss, teens

Views: 151

Replies to This Discussion

Just goes to show, if we legalized, heavily taxed, and regulated pot(as we do tobacco), teen smoking would go down. Along with laws outlawing selling tobacco to minors, every place that heavily taxes cigarettes has seen a decrease in teen smoking, more than any other measure. If we do the same with pot(heavily tax it) teen would have a much harder time smoking it, since they dont have a lot of money. I know i would have never been able to afford pot back in high school.

yeah I think so too Kosak

I agree with Kosak.  Pot can be taxed and controlled.  In all my years as an advocate, I have always opposed marijuana use by minors. 

BTW, I'm even more worried about all the sugar they consume and all the time they spend sitting in front of their screens (sitting is very bad for you, I just found out).  We're looking at a generation of obese, arthritic diabetics. 

I would think that smoking 'anything' including marijuana, would damage the brain in youth due to oxygen deprivation...  am I incorrect in this assumption that smoking causes a loss of oxygen in the blood and thus the brain?  This seems an attempt to further demonize a useful, medicinal herb in the court of public opinion.  I really take issue with the 'dependency' language...  I agree with you Kosak with regard to legalization and I would like to add, that if you legalize and tax, you remove it's societal taboo and thus lessen it's usage by minors.

Alan, I'd say you're more on track there with a much more pressing adolescent health issue.


Support Atheist Nexus

Donate Today



Help Nexus When You Buy From Amazon




Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service