Pubdate: Tue, 01 Apr 2003
Source: Independent  (UK)
Copyright: 2003 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.independent.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/209
Author: Charles Arthurr, Technology Editor

DOPE-SMOKING TEENS 'ADDICTED BY EARLY 20S'

About one fifth of teenagers who smoke cannabis become dependent on the 
drug by early adulthood, but the addiction appears to be mental rather than 
physical, according to new research.

The study by Australian researchers found that the strongest factor in 
whether someone became dependent was frequency of use: one in three 
adolescents who smoked cannabis every week were hooked by their early 20s.

Writing in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the team from the Centre for 
Adolescent Health in Melbourne, Australia, said the findings suggested "the 
case for a more concerted public health response seems strong".

The research looked at cannabis dependence among 1,601 young adults aged 20 
or 21. Most using cannabis had begun in their mid-teens, and almost 20 per 
cent of those were found to be dependent by the time they were young 
adults. Studies have shown that the strength of cannabis has increased 
tenfold since the 1960s.
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