Regular Marijuana use brings financial & social problems in Middle Age

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on March 26, 2016.

People who smoke marijuana regularly suffer more work, social and economic problems at midlife than those who use pot only occasionally or not at all, a new research finds. The research study was published in the journal ‘Clinical Psychological Science’ on March 23.

Researchers followed nearly 1,000 young people at the age group of 18 to 38 and discovered that those who smoked marijuana four or more days of the week over several years experienced downward social mobility.  They ended up with lower-paying, less skilled and less prestigious jobs than the ones their parents held. On the other hand, those who were not regular smokers ended up with jobs that required more skill, paid better, and were more prestigious than their parents’ occupation.

“Our study found that regular cannabis users experienced downward social mobility and more financial problems such as troubles with debt and cash flow than those who did not report such persistent use," said Magdalena Cerda at the University of California, Davis Health System, who led the study team.

In addition to more financial difficulties, people dependent on marijuana also experienced more problems with antisocial behavior, such as stealing and repeated lying, and relationship troubles such as domestic violence and abuse.

"Our research does not support arguments for or against cannabis legalization," said Cerda, "But it does show that cannabis was not safe for the long-term users tracked in our study."

The research team studied people from Dunedin, New Zealand, who have been volunteering in a lifelong study since they were born in 1972 and 1973. More than 950 of the original 1,037 volunteers filled out questionnaires on marijuana use.

comments powered by Disqus