Researchers found that using marijuana during the adolescent stage does not cause extensive health problems during adulthood. The new study was not able to find a significant link between teenage marijuana use and the development of physical and mental health conditions including asthma, depression and psychotic illnesses later in life.

The scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Rutgers University performed the study by collating data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study, which monitored 14-year-old males from Pittsburgh public schools since the late 1980s to investigate different issues surrounding health and social aspects. The said database tracked down the participants up until 2009-2010, when they were already aged 36.

For the particular study, the subjects were classified into four groups in accordance to their reported use of marijuana. The percentage per groups are as follows: 46 percent were low or non-users, 22 percent were early chronic users, 11 percent were marijuana users only during adolescence and 21 percent were late-adolescent users, who continued using marijuana.

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. As a matter of fact, the researchers wrote, no notable differences were seen between the health prognoses of marijuana trajectory groups, despite the absence of possible confounding controls on the models. 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.

"What we found was a little surprising," says Jordan Bechtold, PhD, lead researcher and a psychology research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The physical and mental health prognoses of all users, regardless of how much and how often they use marijuana during their teenage years, were not significantly different.

The researchers wanted to contribute to the debate regarding the legalization of marijuana, says Bechtold. Although the issue is a bit complex, officials should not isolate one research, he adds.

In the end, the authors concluded that the physical and mental outcome of marijuana users is just one factor to consider in the legalization of marijuana. Other factors such as cognitive and intellectual health should also be considered by officials. Many studies have investigated on these factors and much more, hence authorities should look into the findings of each and every single study to have a larger view of the consequences of early-onset marijuana use.

Photo: Brett Levin | Flickr

TAG marijuana, Teen, Asthma, Depression

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