Smoking Cannabis Does Affect Mental and Physical Health: Study

Smoking pot does cause mental illnesses and exacerbates risk of getting addicted to other forms of drugs, finds a study.

Various researches on marijuana have noted confounding results on its effects on health. But, it is confirmed that the use of this recreation drug by youngsters below 21 hinders brain development and functioning. Recently, British researchers from the Kings' College in London found that pot smokers of all age groups are vulnerable to a number of diseases including chronic bronchitis and heart attack. The children born to women who were exposed to the drug during pregnancy have low birth weight and pot addicted teens have two fold chances of developing disorders like schizophrenia in adulthood, reports the Daily Mail.

For the study, the scientists observed cannabis users for almost 20 years and noted it was directly associated to poor mental abilities, driving skills and low academic performance. In addition, the researchers say that one in every six youngsters who smoke pot are at risk of getting addicted to other mind altering substances like cocaine, MDMA and LSD. The probability of meeting with an accident after smoking cannabis is also very high.  

In the last few years, many people have turned to smoking cannabis as casually as they smoke tobacco cigarettes. Legalizing marijuana for medical reasons and benefits has spurred debates fearing risk of addiction and death. 

"The risk of dependence is under-appreciated by lots of users. People get caught up, particularly in daily patterns of use, find it difficult to stop or control their use or cease, and continually use the drug despite problems caused by its use," said Wayne Hal, study author and professor at the King's College, reports the Belfast Telegraph.

"American research suggests it might be as high as one in six amongst young people who might start using cannabis in their mid-teens. The particular concern in adolescence are people who get involved in that very heavy pattern of use are much more likely to disengage from school, not complete their education, not engage in further training and drift into affiliating with other people who are similar heavy cannabis users," he adds.

More information is available online in the journal Addiction.