Lausanne, Switzerland: Teens who use cannabis do not report more frequent psychosocial problems compared to young people who abstain from the drug, according to survey data published this month in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Investigators at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland analyzed survey data from over 5,200 students age 16 to 20. Of these, 455 subjects reported using only cannabis, 1,703 subjects reported using both cannabis and tobacco, and 3,105 subjects said they abstained from both drugs.
Compared with those subjects who reported using both substances, cannabis-only youth were more likely to receive good grades (77.5 to 66.6 percent), play sports (85.5 to 66.7 percent), and live with both parents (78.2 to 68.3 percent). Cannabis-only youth were also less likely to have been drunk in the past 30 days (40.5 to 55 percent) or have used other illegal drugs (8.4 to 17.9 percent).
Compared to those subjects who abstained from pot and tobacco, teens who reported using cannabis only were more likely to participate in sports and have a good relationship with friends. Cannabis-only youth received similar grades compared to those who did not smoke pot, but were more likely to report having skipped class. Youth who abstained from pot were more likely to report having a strong relationship with their parents; however, cannabis-only youth did not report suffering from higher rates of depression.
Investigators concluded: “Cannabis-only adolescents show better functioning than those who use tobacco. Compared with abstainers, they are more socially driven and do not seem to have psychosocial problems at a higher rate.”
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, “Characteristics of cannabis users who have never smoked tobacco,” appears in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.