- Scientists followed drug and alcohol use among students over seven years
- Teenagers using both marijuana and alcohol had worse grades at school
- Smoking weed also linked found to cause ‘delinquent’ behaviour
- Asian, black and Hispanic youth worse affected by alcohol and drug use
Katharine Sharpe For Mail Online
1
View
comments
It’s something that’s long been suspected – and a new study has just confirmed it.
Students who drink beer and smoke weed have worse grades at school, scientists discovered.
Mental health was also found to be affected in students who used both substances as they felt ‘less prepared’ for education.
Students who smoke weed and drink alcohol have worse grades at school, new research claims
To add fuel to the fire, smoking weed was also found to increase the likelihood of ‘delinquent’ behaviour and makr students less ready for their day ahead.
Over 6,500 students from Los Angeles were followed over a seven-year period as part of a study by the RAND Corporation to monitor the effects of the two drugs.
Participating teenagers aged between 11 and 17 years old were required to complete seven surveys split between their time in middle and high school.
-
The teenage brain on social media: Scans reveal ‘liking’ a…
People who smoke a lot of cannabis in their youth are ‘more…
Is this the formula to a happy life? Equation predicts how…
Bird brains? No, parrots are just as bright as apes! Birds…
This enabled researchers to monitor their alcohol and drug habits, comparing them to school results and any behaviour or mental health issues.
The study found non-white students who reported using both alcohol and marijuana were worse affected academically and behaviourally than white students.
However, white students appeared to be at greater risk of using the substances while at school than those of other ethnic backgrounds.
Cheers? Students who think alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana may be misinformed, say researchers
Lead author of the study and behavioural scientist Dr Elizabeth D’Amico said that the study showed alcohol and marijuana use were issues that needed to be tackled early on in life, especially in Asian, black and Hispanic students.
DANGERS OF CANNABIS IN YOUTH
A recent study in New Zealand highlighted the dangers of cannabis use in young adults.
Participants aged 18-38 who smoked the drug four or more days a week ended up in a lower social class than their parents.
They also worked in less skilled jobs, earned less and were exhibited more antisocial behaviour such as lying, stealing and domestic violence
‘One approach may be to increase protective factors such as parental support or the adolescent’s ability to resist temptations to use these substances.
‘Many youths tend to think that alcohol use has more consequences than marijuana use and therefore view marijuana use as safer than drinking.
‘However, they need to better understand the harms of marijuana use, such as the potential effect on their developing brain and how it can affect performance in both adolescence and adulthood.’
Students completed their final surveys in high school after having attended an alcohol and other drug use prevention programme.
However, the researchers noted other factors may have contributed to the results that the surveys did not take into account, including racial discrimination, parental use and where they grew up.
Share or comment on this article
-
Shooting victim captures terror at Orlando club on Snapchat
-
Mysterious ‘craft’ object seen racing past Jupiter
-
Neighbor video catches hail of gunfire at club where 49 died
-
24 shots in 9 seconds: Orlando gunman club massacre
-
Donald Trump in New Hampshire: Terror attack, gays, and…
-
Adorable moment dog tip-toes past door with cat behind it
-
Shocking interstate roll-over crash caught on camera
-
Couple appear to have sex in public with young girl next to…
-
Pulse shooter’s father: Punishing gay people is Allah’s job
-
Moment SWAT team engaged Orlando club shooter in rapid…
-
Shock footage shows Russian fans causing violence in…
-
Heroic lifeguard saves child in South Carolina swimming pool
-
Trump tears into Clinton over Orlando as he says attacks…
-
Terrifying moment ISIS gunman opened fire inside Florida gay…
-
Facebook and Reddit accused of censorship after pages…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the suburban home of a terrorist: Gunman’s…
-
‘Omar Mateen was gay’: Orlando terrorist pursued a…
-
Amateur astronomer captures ‘UFO’ hurtling past Jupiter as…
-
ISIS claims responsibility for Florida gay club massacre:…
-
Faces of the 49: Parents, dancers, students and nurses among…
-
Pictured: Islamist reveals he was answering ISIS call for…
-
‘He laughed as he shot us’: Sole survivor of 30 hiding in…
-
ISIS fanatic died in a hail of bullets as he crawled from…
-
Orlando nightclub gunman ‘scouted Walt Disney World as a…
Comments (1)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have been moderated in advance.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now