DRUG CAUSES IQ DROP

A study led by researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and published in Psychological Medicine has found that adolescents who frequently use cannabis may experience a decline in intelligence quotient (IQ) over time. The results revealed that there were declines of approximately 2 IQ points over time in those who use cannabis frequently compared with those who didn’t use cannabis. Further analysis suggested that this decline in IQ points was primarily related to reduction in verbal IQ.

“Previous research tells us that young people who use cannabis frequently have worse outcomes in life than their peers and are at increased risk for serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Loss of IQ points early in life could have significant effects on performance in school and later employment prospects,” says lead researcher, Professor Mary Cannon.