LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Using cannabis on a regular basis is more dangerous for adolescents than adults, putting the teens at a risk of psychotic episodes, according to a new study led by the University of Bath in the UK.
'Our analysis shows that adolescents scored consistently higher on a measure of cannabis use disorder symptoms over a 12-month period, compared to adults,' said the study's first author Dr. Rachel Lees.
For the study, the researchers observed the cannabis usage of 70 adults and 76 adolescents and assessed it every three months for one year. The participants were assessed based on type of cannabis and symptoms of cannabis use disorder.
Dr. Lees said, 'A higher score meant more negative experiences from cannabis use. Across the 12 months of the study, adolescents consistently scored higher than adults, indicating they faced more struggles with cannabis. We found that this effect was not due to the adolescents using more cannabis than the adults.'
Speaking about the findings, Dr. Lees commented, 'We found that 70 percent of the adolescents reported having failed to do what was normally expected of them because of using cannabis, whereas only 20 percent of the adults reported having experienced this. Also, 80 percent of the adolescents reported devoting a great deal of time to getting, using or recovering from cannabis use, compared to 50 percent of the adults'.
Researchers speculated that as adolescents' brains are still in development phase, they are more vulnerable to cannabis use disorder, which causes symptoms like bad mental and physical health, intense feeling of craving, and withdrawal symptoms.
The study, published in the European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, is expected to 'increase awareness among young people of the potential risks from cannabis use, encouraging them to consider ways they can mitigate these risks such as stopping or reducing use.'
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