A recent study revealed that occasional marijuana use may endanger teenagers' health.
According to a study published in a large national study, scientists discovered that adolescents who use marijuana, as little as once or twice a month, are expected to experience academic and emotional challenges.
For the study, researchers assessed survey data from over 162,000 students in grades 8, 10, and 12 across the United States between 2018-2022.
Nearly 26% of participants reported some level of marijuana use. About 5% stated that they used the drug almost daily, nearly 4% reported weekly use, and close to 5% used marijuana monthly.
Marijuana use was linked to a two- to five-fold surge in the likelihood of poor academic performance.
It was also associated with increased higher rates of emotional and behavioral issues.s of use such as noncurrent and infrequent use.
Younger adolescents were found to be at a significantly higher risk of academic and emotional effects.
Furthermore, the authors mentioned that early adolescence is a critical period for brain development, during which substances like marijuana may interfere with impulse control and self-regulation.
