05/11/2007 00:00:00
Swiss study has some surprises on marijuana use
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CHICAGO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - A study of more than 5,000 youngsters in
Switzerland has found those who smoked marijuana do as well or better in
some areas as those who don't, researchers said on Monday.
But the same was not true for those who used both tobacco and marijuana,
who tended to be heavier users of the drug, said the report from Dr.
J.C. Suris and colleagues at the University of Lausanne.
The study did not confirm the hypothesis that those who abstained from
marijuana and tobacco functioned better overall, the authors said.
In fact, those who used only marijuana were "more socially driven ...
significantly more likely to practice sports and they have a better
relationship with their peers" than abstainers, it said.
"Moreover, even though they are more likely to skip class, they have the
same level of good grades; and although they have a worse relationship
with their parents, they are not more likely to be depressed" than
abstainers, it added.
It did not explain the reasons behind the apparent effect.
The study, published in the November issue of the Archives of Pediatrics
& Adolescent Medicine, was based on a 2002 survey of 5,263 Swiss
students age 16 to 20, of whom 455 smoked marijuana only, 1,703 who used
both marijuana and tobacco and 3,105 who abstained from both.
The report said that while marijuana use has declined among U.S.
adolescents, it has increased in recent years among the same age group
in Switzerland and other European countries.
The study said that while one theory holds that using legal drugs like
nicotine and alcohol opens the door to marijuana and other illegal drug
use, recent research also has found marijuana may come first and it "may
reinforce cigarette smoking or lead to nicotine addiction ..."
In the study, about half of the tobacco and marijuana group had used the
latter drug 10 times or more in the previous month. That compared to 56
percent in the marijuana-only group who had used the drug only once or
twice in the same time period.
"These findings agree with previous research indicating that (tobacco)
smokers were significantly more likely to be heavy cannabis users than
nonsmokers," the study concluded.
In addition, those who use only marijuana were less likely to have
started using that drug before the age of 15 compared to tobacco users,
and the tobacco-marijuana group was more likely to have abused alcohol,
the study said.
(Reporting by Michael Conlon; Editing by Andrew Stern and Philip Barbara)
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN05267057
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12986
Author:
Reuters via UKCIA
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