Even infrequent cannabis use by teens can impair skills: study

Cannabis use by teenagers — even infrequent use — can affect the skills necessary to succeed in school, according to a study by the Ste-Justine Hospital.

Research conducted by the hospital and the Université de Montréal and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows that the effects of cannabis use can be observed on primary cognitive functions and seems to be more pronounced than those of alcohol.

Alcohol and cannabis use have been associated with changes to learning abilities, memory, attention span and decision-making abilities as well as weak academic performance.

“These are skills that are not directly linked to academic performance,” said study co-author JeanFrançois G. Morin. “But they are necessary in order to perform well.”

He said these changes do not only affect those who regularly consume cannabis. “There is no zero risk when it comes to (cannabis) use.”

In order to understand the relationship between alcohol, cannabis and cognitive function in teenagers whatever their level of consumption, researchers followed 3,826 Canadian adolescents for four years. The authors studied the relationship from one year to another between substance use and development of several cognitive functions including the ability to remember, perceptive reasoning and inhibition.

The study showed that the use of alcohol and cannabis during adolescence was associated with generally poorer performance in all cognitive areas.

Presse Canadienne