REGULAR cannabis use by teenagers can lead to an increased risk of suicide, greater use of illicit drugs and poor educational achievement a Christchurch study has revealed.

The study, published in medical journal The Lancet, showed daily cannabis users under the age of 17 were 60 per cent less likely to complete high school or attend university and were nearly seven times more likely to attempt suicide.

Daily users were 18 times more likely to become addicted to cannabis and eight times more likely to use other illicit drugs.

Researchers from three large, long-running studies in Christchurch and Melbourne, combined data to investigate the link between cannabis use in adolescence and outcomes later in life.

Professor David Fergusson, leader of the University of Otago’s Christchurch Health and Development Study, said the research was the largest single consistent study done on adolescent use of cannabis.

[The study, done by researchers in Australia and New Zealand, is a meta-analysis of three previous long-running studies that included nearly 4,000 participants.]. [Read more…]