Clever children more likely to dabble in cannabis as teens

February 23, 2017

Researchers analysed 6,059 young people to reach their final conclusions
They found a correlation between clever youths and long-term substance use
Conversely, gifted youngsters were less likely to start smoking cigarettes

James Draper For Mailonline

Published:
18:30 EST, 22 February 2017

|
Updated:
18:30 EST, 22 February 2017

e-mail

View
comments

You may think intelligent children would know better.

But actually they’re more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol as a teenager, new research shows.

Those who are academically gifted are twice as likely to booze during adolescence, scientists found.

While they were almost 50 per cent more likely to smoke cannabis occasionally.

However, on the upside, bright youngsters were less likely to start smoking cigarettes, experts claim.

Teenage kicks: The study, published on Wednesday in the journal BMJ Open, was conducted by researchers at University College London

Researchers from University College London analysed the behaviour of 6,059 young people to reach the conclusion.

And, compared to their less gifted peers, they noted that intelligent youngsters are also destined to indulge throughout adulthood.

Revealed – The secrets of Andy Warhol’s death: Doctor pens…

Why David Cassidy’s dementia caused him to fall off the…

Boozing, weight gain and failing to exercise INCREASES the…

I was fit, 24 – and diagnosed with multiple sclerosis: Woman…

The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, gathered information on participants’ academic achievement at age 11.

This was then combined with health behaviours from 13-14 and 16-17 – deemed early adolescence.

Bright young things: Compared to their less gifted peers, intelligent youngsters are destined to use as teends and indulge throughout adulthood

They then mirrored the process when they were between 18-19 and 19-20 years – classed as late adolescence.

Ultimately, they found that during their early teens, high-achieving pupils were less likely to smoke cigarettes.

But they were far more likely to booze and get high than their disadvantaged peers. They were nearly twice as likely to use the illegal drug long-term.

The data seems to refute the commonly-held notion that academic prowess is associated with a greater tendency to ‘experiment’ fleetingly with these substances.

‘High childhood academic at age 11 is associated with a reduced risk of cigarette smoking but an increased risk of drinking alcohol regularly and cannabis use,’ the researchers wrote.

‘These associations persist into early adulthood, providing evidence against the hypothesis that high academic ability is associated with temporary ‘experimentation’ with substance use.’