Brainy kids drink link

BRIGHT children are more likely to drink and smoke cannabis in their teenage years, a new study has found.

High academic achievement at the age of 11 has been linked to a lower risk of smoking in adolescence but smarter pupils were also more likely to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis, a BMJ Open study says.

It found that during their early teens, high-achieving pupils were less likely to smoke cigarettes but more likely to drink alcohol. During their late teens, brainy children were more than twice as likely to drink alcohol regularly.

They were also 50 per cent more likely to use cannabis.