Remember the days when your parents would tell you, “weed leads to lazy, jobless, lung cancer-ridden adults”? Having to sit through all those health classes and lectures about marijuana being the worst thing for you was adolescent torture for most of us.
Well, teen stoners rejoice, a study published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors found that smoking pot as a teenager isn’t linked to physical or mental health problems later in the person’s life. This includes, asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, or mood disorders.
In a press release, Jordan Bechtold, the lead researcher and psychology research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said “There were no differences in any of the mental or physical health outcomes that we measured regardless of the amount or frequency of marijuana used during adolescence.”
The study examined the relationship between antisocial and delinquent behaviors, and alcohol and drug use among seventh grade boys (black and white) in Pittsburgh public schools. The researchers tracked the 400 men until they were 36-years-old. They were separated into four groups based on their level of marijuana usage: low/non-users, early chronic users, adolescence-only users and late-teen through adult users.
Results showed that there were no significant differences between each group’s mental and physical health issues in their last stage of examination. Although the news is hopeful for previous stoners, the study comes with a few limitations. Only a single geographic location was examined, and it’s possible that health issues may develop later in these men’s lives than mid-thirties.
Additionally, there’s another study released by the above journal that stated that these findings are strictly set to adolescent teens, and not for college students. It turns out, marijuana use in college can have negative consequences on students’ GPA. So, consider this before you light one up, people!
READ MORE: Surprise! Marijuana is Stronger Now
