Is weed sabotaging your life? Study suggests timing matters

Think cannabis is harmless once you’re an adult? Think again.

New research shows that while teenage toking might not derail your life, lighting up at 30 could come with serious consequences.

Eye-opening insights

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk and concern about ‘scromiting,’ a disturbing health trend linked to teen marijuana use. The term combines ‘screaming’ and ‘vomiting,’ and it’s gaining more attention as cases continue to rise.

And the question of cannabis and its health effects is especially relevant today, as more U.S. states and countries like Canada and Uruguay have legalized it.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham in the U.S. suggests that the legalization of recreational cannabis in Massachusetts may be linked to a sharp rise in cannabis-related psychiatric visits among young people at the hospital’s psychiatric emergency department, according to News Medical.

And a study out of Australia has some more, eye-opening insights for cannabis users — and the takeaway might surprise you. Researchers from the University of Queensland found that smoking weed in your youth isn’t necessarily a life-ruiner, but continuing into adulthood could come with consequences.

8,000 mothers and 2,000 children

Published in Addiction Research & Theory in 2022, the study examined long-term life outcomes for both cannabis and amphetamine users. Using data from over 8,000 mothers and 2,000 children, the researchers tracked drug use at ages 21 and 30, measuring “success” through nine factors including education, income, home ownership, relationship status, and self-reported happiness.

The results? Young adults who experimented with drugs early but stopped before 30 generally fared well. But continued use into adulthood correlated with lower life success across those measures.

“We found people who used cannabis and amphetamines at 30 had substantially lower levels of life success,” lead author Najman said in a press release.

But there’s a catch. The dataset was highly local to Australia and some of it dates back to 1981, so it might not reflect modern experiences elsewhere. Plus, the researchers didn’t fully account for whether participants were using other drugs alongside cannabis, leaving a question mark over the findings.

“We do not have adequate data on other illicit drugs that may be being used, for example, ecstasy, opiates and even synthetic drugs,” the study notes. “A subset of those using cannabis as well as amphetamines may also be using a range of other drugs and it may be that our findings reflect polydrug use generally rather than the specific use of cannabis and amphetamines.”

The study also highlights a wider social context. Legal trouble, school struggles, and antisocial behavior can exacerbate the effects of drug use, creating a self-fulfilling cycle.

“Antisocial behavior and contact with the criminal justice system are the strongest predictors of continued drug use, along with problems at school and aggressive or delinquent behavior early in life,” Najman said. “These findings raise the possibility that targeted interventions for children who show early signs of antisocial behavior or poor school performance may reduce drug use and lead to improved life success.”

Interestingly, some research even suggests that occasional cannabis use can boost quality of life, meaning it’s not inherently destructive. The main takeaway appears to be timing and moderation: experimenting when young may not derail your future, but long-term adult use could come with serious trade-offs.

Australia, where the study was conducted, remains more restrictive on cannabis than many other countries, which may also affect the findings. In Australia, growing cannabis for personal use is still illegal across nearly all states and territories — the only exception being the Australian Capital Territory.