cannabisnews.com: Early Marijuana Use 'Leads To Problems'





Early Marijuana Use 'Leads To Problems'
Posted by CN Staff on January 21, 2003 at 18:31:55 PT
Teenagers often have access to cannabis
Source: BBC News 
People who first use marijuana at an early age are much more likely to develop drug and alcohol problems in later life, research suggests. In a large study of Australian twins, researchers found that those who used marijuana before age 17 were two to five times more likely to use other drugs or to develop alcohol or drug abuse or dependence.
It is thought that many factors influence the likelihood that somebody will develop a drink or drugs problem. But factors such as genetics and family circumstance are likely to be similar for twins. So researchers are more able to draw meaningful conclusions when they examine other factors such as early use of soft drugs in the development of later problems with substance abuse. The researchers focused on 311 sets of same-sex twins. In every case one twin began using marijuana before the age of 17, and the other did not.  Higher rates By the time these twins were interviewed in their late 20s and early 30s, the early marijuana users had developed higher rates of problems with alcohol and other drugs. Some 46% reported that they later abused or became dependent upon marijuana, and 43% had become alcohol dependent. The early marijuana users also used other drugs at higher rates, including cocaine and other stimulants (48%) heroin and other opioids (14%) and hallucinogens (35%). The rates were between 1.8 and 5.2 times higher than the rates observed in the twins who did not use marijuana before the age of 17. Researcher Dr Michael Lynskey, of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, said: "We actually were expecting that by using twins and controlling for genetic and familial effects, we'd find the association between early use and later abuse would disappear. "But this study demonstrates that there is more to the relationship than we previously thought." Professor Andrew Heath, of the Missouri Alcoholism Research Center at Washington University School of Medicine, led the study. He said: "One important thing to say to the parents of a 16-year-old using marijuana is that the majority of kids who use cannabis do not go on to experience problems with drugs or alcohol, but it's important that we, as parents and as a society, recognise that there is an increased risk." Risk under-estimated  Professor Heath said marijuana use by children and their parents was now so common that society may downplay the risks involved. The researchers said the reason why early use of marijuana was linked to later problems was not clear. Professor Lynskey said: "It often is implicitly assumed that the association between cannabis and other drugs is somehow pharmacological, that using cannabis changes your brain or makes you crave other drugs. "But there are a number of other potential mechanisms, including access to drugs, willingness to break the law and likelihood of engaging in risk-taking behaviours." Quote: It's important that we, as parents and as a society, recognise that there is an increased risk. -- Professor Andrew HeathThe research is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Source: BBC News (UK Web) Published: Wednesday, January 22, 2003Copyright: 2003 BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Contact: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/Related Articles & Web Site:JAMA: Cannabis Gateway Reporthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/jama.htmMarijuana's Link To Hard Drug Use Not Genetic http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15244.shtmlMarijuana No Gateway to Cocaine and Heroin http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14879.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by The GCW on January 22, 2003 at 05:19:43 PT
Brainstorming for the HOST.
If you have two children and one eats food readily (like some identical twins) and the other does not, You tend to coerce or force the one who does not while approving the one that does. That could lead to the one who does not, to over eating when that one is not hungry. What kind of occurrences stem from that dysfunctional act that can lead to bigger problems down the road.And then what if the one who does not eat well, is found to not eat well during meals, only to be found filling up on sweets and snacks inbetween??? Does a smart kid, with less supervision fall into this description and how does that effect someone when the problem magnifies for many years?Do any of these consideration have a potential to effect the outcome... and do they take these considerations into mind? Then do these kids end up more prone to get hooked on cigs, booze coffee,,, soda pop, overeating, and so they are also likely to use cannabis, hard drugs etc. and does it matter as long as they work and support themselves? What about the kid who gets hit, smacked, slapped and spanked for punishment regularily, then moves away from home as age increases. Does that person have a harder time knowing right from wrong once He does not get hit for wrong anymore?Do the people that eat partially hydroginated oils in their food become more prone to use cannabis, or (off the wall)hunt and kill animals beyond what they can eat???What if eating the partially hydroginated foodstuff causes You to use cannabis AND THEN the cannabis causes YOu to become more aware of its dangers and then You quit the partially hydroginated? WOULD THAT BE A NATURAL CURE for eating partially hydroginated... and could that analogy work with Christ God Our Father, where there is one who does not believe and see where cannabis can help someone who does not believe to believe?That last one sounds like the story of My life.
 
If You do not believe in Christ and use cannabis, thank God for the cannabis and ask Him to show You the Truth. He has already indicated, He would, through the promised HOly Spirit of Truth. Our H.O.S.T.The Green Collar Worker
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Comment #5 posted by Dumbstruck on January 22, 2003 at 00:32:04 PT:
Predisposed
People, regardless of their age, usually advance to hard drug because they are predisposed to taking hard drugs. More often than not something in their lives went wrong which started them down that road. It has nothing to do with where they begin that journey. Pot, alcohol, cigarettes or even over eating can be a starting point. They are trying to excape from something. They have something that they don't want to think of or comfront. And what ever those reasons are, are as numerous as there are people. The way something effects one person, may effect another person differently. They might not like how they look, they might not like their current station in life, or they might have a friend or family member who sexually, physically or mentally abused them.Of course, it could also be that they just happened to get caught up in the drug rehabilitation industry while out on a Saturday night.
Early Marijuana Use 'Leads To Problems'
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Comment #4 posted by delariand on January 21, 2003 at 22:21:10 PT
Science?
A new study recently published by my imagination proves that some people enjoy using drugs, and some people don't. Therefore, these drug-liking people use marijuana, which is readily available during teen years, then later use whatever else they can get their hands on. People who don't enjoy using drugs don't smoke pot, and don't do anything else either. Is it really pot's fault? Hardly.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 21, 2003 at 21:28:23 PT
News Brief from The Washington Post
Study: Marijuana Can Lead to Harder Drugs 
Wednesday, January 22, 2003; Page A05 A study of Australian twins and marijuana bolsters the fiercely debated "gateway theory" that smoking the drug at a young age can lead to harder drugs.The researchers located 311 sets of same-sex twins in which only one twin said he or she had smoked marijuana before age 17. Early marijuana smokers were found to be as much as five times more likely than their twins to move on to harder drugs.They were about twice as likely to use opiates, which include heroin, and five times more likely to use hallucinogens, which include LSD.Earlier studies on whether marijuana is a gateway drug reached conflicting conclusions. The study appears in today's Journal of the American Medical Association and was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health."It is often implicitly assumed that using cannabis changes your brain or makes you crave other drugs," said lead researcher Michael Lynskey, "but there are a number of other potential mechanisms, including access to drugs, willingness to break the law and likelihood of engaging in risk-taking behavior." He is a senior research fellow at Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane. Copyright: 2003 Washington Post
JAMA Cannabis Gateway Report
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 21, 2003 at 19:31:55 PT
Identical Twins?
I'm not a Doctor but I assume only identical twins would be able to be accurately studied. If the twins aren't identical what could this study really mean? To me it means that many factors could contribute to hard drug use. I could be wrong but maybe I'm not. 
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Comment #1 posted by Dave in Florida on January 21, 2003 at 18:55:24 PT
What are the odds of that?
The researchers focused on 311 sets of same-sex twins. In every case one twin began using marijuana before the age
of 17, and the other did not. 
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