Cannabis Use Does Not Affect Academic Performance (But Tobacco Does)

The debate on the impact that marijuana consumption may have on teenage students is always part of the discussion. There are numerous studies that argue against legalisation (both recreational and therapeutic) and those who seek out every opportunity to frustrate the efforts of the cannabis community. Fortunately, more and more researchers are working on studies getting out the truth about the plant.

With regards to marijuana use amongst minors, a group of professionals at various UK universities were behind a study designed to determine whether smoking it affects in some way youths’ IQ or academic performance. They also sought to compare their findings with the effects of tobacco on the same group.

To do this they drew on information on 2,235 young people, with an average age of 16, of whom 15.25% reported having tried cannabis at least once. The experts then contrasted the data with other parameters, such as the typical consumption of alcohol and symptoms of mental or behavioural problems in childhood. The researchers found that those who had smoked grass on more than 50 occasions evidenced no IQ differences from those who had never done so, nor was their educational performance affected.

In contrast, they found that there was a strong relationship between the consumption of tobacco and academic results, able to establish a link between smoking cigarettes and diminished educational performance. In short, they clearly indicated that smoking marijuana does not have the impact that surveys and studies tend to allege.