Cannabis use before age15 is linked to physical and mental health issues : Shots

Teens who start using cannabis before age 15 are more likely to use the drug later in life. They are also more likely to develop mental and physical health problems at a young age compared to their peers who did not use drugs during adolescence.

These are the results of a new study conducted in The JAMA Network is open.

“This once again proves that Cannabis use in adolescence is unfavorable influences [health] trajectories of those who use it,” says psychiatrist Dr. Ryan Sultan from Columbia University, who was not involved in the new study.

The new study used data Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Researchers from Montreal, Canada, followed more than 1,500 children from birth until adolescence to understand the factors that influence their development and health. Among the various aspects of children's lives and habits recorded by scientists is the use of cannabis between the ages of 12 and 17 years.

The researchers found that the majority of teens—60%—did not use cannabis during adolescence. Of the remaining 40%, half started using cannabis as teenagers, and by age 17 they were using the drug infrequently—less than once a month. The remaining 20% ​​started using marijuana before they were 15 years old, and by age 17 they were using it at least once a month.

This latter group was more likely to seek treatment at a young age for both mental and physical illnesses, compared with those who did not use the drug during adolescence.

“The risk is concentrated among early and frequent users,” says the psychologist and lead author of the study. Massimiliano Orri at McGill University.

Early, frequent cannabis users were 51% more likely to seek help for mental health problems at a young age compared to non-users. And that risk was calculated after taking into account a number of confounding factors known to affect health, such as bullying or lack of parental involvement.

Likewise, early and frequent cannabis users were 86% more likely to need medical care for physical health issues.

“We have some indications that respiratory problems were the most commonly reported, as were accidents and unintentional injuries,” Orry says.

These physical health problems may be related to cannabis intoxication, but may also be caused by withdrawal symptoms, Orry and his colleagues write in the paper.

“It certainly makes sense,” says the psychologist. Krista Lisdahl from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, who also studies brain development and adolescent health but was not involved in the new study. “It's alarming and we really need to look at it more closely here in the United States as well.”

“A major strength of the study is that Orry and his colleagues controlled for many confounding factors,” adds Lisdahl.

“There are many factors that are associated with both physical and mental health,” says Lysdahl. And the new study controlled for many of them, including “family, parental conflict and parenting style, and parental monitoring of adolescents.” They also looked at individual-level factors such as social skills, peer relationships and whether the child had been victimized by peers.

Previous studies have also found a link between teen marijuana use and a higher risk of developing mental health symptoms.

Recent research by Sultan found that adolescents who use cannabis recreationally are two to four times more likely to develop mental health disorders than adolescents who do not use the drug at all. Other studies have shown a link between early cannabis use and psychosis in youth. He and his colleagues also found a higher risk of other consequences, such as poor grades and absenteeism.

“The adolescent brain continues to develop at a very dynamic rate during adolescence and throughout adulthood,” says Lisdahl. “Regular use of something like cannabis during this period can disrupt this process. healthy development of the nervous system, particularly in areas of the brain associated with executive functions such as problem solving, planning, possibly controlling other behaviors and impulses, and regulating emotions,” she says.

Take, for example, an anxiety-prone teen who turns to marijuana to relieve anxiety, Sultan says. “If you start doing this regularly, it is now your method of managing anxiety,” he says. “It becomes your coping skill and you atrophy any ability to deal with it differently.”

The same thing can happen to someone who uses cannabis to manage their mood, he adds.

Thus, for an individual who is already predisposed to some mental health symptoms, beginning cannabis use during adolescence may increase the likelihood that these symptoms will develop into mental health disorders over time.

For all these reasons, Sultan, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, says he often talks to teens and parents about delaying cannabis use until age 25 to minimize the risks of health and behavioral problems later in life.