The temporary high from a joint or the momentary joy from a night of drinking can lead adolescents into a future of poor academic performance and possible mental health problems.
A new study from the nonprofit RAND corporation, which followed a group of students, found poor academic performance and mental health problems were a hallmark of teens who used alcohol and marijuana.
"Disparities are occurring as early as high school and therefore it is crucial to address alcohol and marijuana use early on, especially for nonwhite youth,” lead author Elizabeth D'Amico, PhD, said in a press release.
Dr. D'Amico is a licensed clinical psychologist and senior behavioral scientist at RAND.
Dr. D'Amico and her research colleagues studied 6,509 students in two waves. The students were asked to complete seven surveys between 2008 and 2015 beginning when the adolescents were in the middle school and continuing through high school.
Study participants were also involved in an alcohol and drug use prevention program called CHOICE. This program was conducted in 16 middle schools in the greater Los Angeles area.
- The researchers found marijuana use was more likely than alcohol to cause problems such as lower academic functioning, more delinquent behavior and poorer mental health.
White youth were less likely to experience negative effects than people of color, but whites were at higher risk for both alcohol and marijuana use.
Asian, black and Hispanic youth reported being less prepared academically than white youth. Hispanic and multi-ethnic youth also reported lower academic performance than whites.
The study did not look at factors like racial discrimination, parental involvement or neighborhood quality.
"Many youth tend to think that alcohol use has more consequences than marijuana use and therefore view marijuana use as safer than drinking," Dr. D'Amico said in the press release. "However, youth 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."
The study was published in the June issue of Addiction.
