Crack down your IQ

[Reckless Roselia]

Cannabis found to lower IQ of young

Cannabis can lower the IQ of young teenagers and may cause permanent mental impairment, research has shown.

The most persistent users suffer an average eight-point decline in IQ between adolescence and adulthood, according to the study of more than 1,000 participants.

Scientists believe smoking cannabis from the age of puberty may disrupt developing and vulnerable brain circuits. Users experienced significantly more attention and memory problems than non-users, the study revealed. This was the case even after taking account of different educational backgrounds and use of alcohol and other drugs.

Quitting or cutting down on cannabis later in life did not fully reverse the impact on those who started taking the drug in their early teens. But the study found no evidence of similar problems affecting people who only took up cannabis as adults.

The international team, led by US psychologist Dr Madeline Meier, from Duke University in Durham, Carolina, wrote in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: "Persistent cannabis use was associated with neuropsychological decline broadly across domains of functioning even after controlling for years of education.

"Impairment was concentrated among adolescent-onset cannabis users, with more persistent use associated with greater decline. Further, cessation of cannabis use did not fully restore neuropsychological functioning among adolescent-onset cannabis users."

Professor Terrie Moffitt, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, who took part in the study, said: "Participants were frank about their substance abuse habits because they trust our confidentiality guarantee, and 96% of the original participants stuck with the study from 1972 to today. It's such a special study that I'm fairly confident that cannabis is safe for over-18 brains, but risky for under-18 brains."

Colleague Professor Robin Murray, also from the Institute of Psychiatry, said: "We have known for some time that heavy use of cannabis increases risk of schizophrenia-like psychoses but this remains a relatively rare outcome so it's not so important from a public health point of view.

"There are far fewer studies on its effect on minor psychiatric illness or on everyday life. However, there are a lot of clinical and educational anecdotal reports that cannabis users tend to be less successful in their educational achievement, marriages and occupations.

"It is of course part of folk-lore among young people that some heavy users of cannabis - my daughter callers them 'stoners' - seem to gradually lose their abilities and end up achieving much less than one would have anticipated. This study provides one explanation as to why this might be the case."

news.uk.msn.com/health/cannabis-found-to-lower-iq-of-young-1

It's an interesting IQ study and perhaps another attack on drug users.

What do you all think?

[Deleted]

An "attack" on drug users?

[Reckless Roselia]

Aug 28, 2012 11:05:58 GMT -5 @shooby said:

An "attack" on drug users?

Indeed Shooby, an 'attack'.

If crack lowers the IQ of the youngsters then that is one 'another' good reason for the government not to legalise it.

[Reckless Roselia]

Even insomnia lowers the IQ.

IQ studies like I've mentioned interest me - my view on IQ studies is on the whole negative.

[Spellbound454]

I've seen it so many times
14 year olds, thinking they have invented this new mysterious and very appealing drug "weed"
It's their little naughty secret..... because they think no-one has ever heard of it before.
..but sadly, they go off the rails, fail their exams and generally get thrown on the scrap-heap.
..and there isn't a bloody thing we can do about it.

Sure, there may be a physiological reason why taking mind altering drugs, before the nerve pathways are fully formed at 21, is not a good idea.
Any damage that is done is likely to be permanent.

As for crack (cocaine) being legalised... forget that...its a highly addictive class A drug.

Youngsters deal this stuff because they are watching their peers, with their fancy cars and big houses.......when the alternative is a dead-beat job at minimum wage...or no job at all..
However... in these parts, the police are now confiscating the wealth of dealers..including their houses etc. So attitudes are changing.

[Reckless Roselia]

I wonder what other substances reduces one's IQ or intelligence. I mean alcohol can be included too.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Why are we talking about crack when the OP posted a study about weed?

[Reckless Roselia]

Aug 29, 2012 17:27:06 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Why are we talking about crack when the OP posted a study about weed?

It was a mere pun in the title.

[Virgil Showlion]

You could never convince me chronic marijuana use doesn't impair memory function. If the relationship isn't causal, then some other factor causes the group of 55-year-olds with terrible memories to overlap 90% with the group of 55-year-olds that happened to use cannabis for the past 30 years.

[ktunes]

i had an opinion, but forgot what it was...

[beags]

Youngsters deal this stuff because they are watching their peers, with their fancy cars and big houses.......when the alternative is a dead-beat job at minimum wage...or no job at all..
However... in these parts, the police are now confiscating the wealth of dealers..including their houses etc. So attitudes are changing.

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Here it's the kids with money who are using because they are the only ones who can afford it. It's also the rich kids who are dealing. Many think it's the lower middle or poor who do these things . . . when in fact it's the kids who have rich parents . .. and those parents have no time to spend with them. While the lower middle to poor actually have parents that care and know what their children are doing most of the time.

I truly resent it when someone says that because you aren't rich you are doomed to nowhere, minimum wage jobs. (maybe that's a large city thing?) It's more the lower middle class and poor around here who have children that are bettering themselves. sure they may have to join the military (National Gaurd or reserves) to pay for their college . .. but in the end . . .they found a way to better themselves. They do it without using drugs. It's not always the poor, more often it's the rich kids who are doing the drugs.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Sept 2, 2012 4:30:04 GMT -5 ktunes said:

i had an opinion, but forgot what it was...

Thanks for posting on this thread ktunes.. Missed it... ;D

Who in their right mind is advocating the use of any kind of mind altering substance for underage youths?? This includes anti depressants?

Never mind the fact that there are receptors in your brain designed to handle this natural product, and alcohol actually stops your brain from developing... Wonder why one is legal?