Pubdate: Mon, 06 Oct 2014
Source: Texarkana Gazette (TX)
Copyright: 2014 Texarkana Gazette
Contact:  http://www.texarkanagazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/976
Authors: Mehmet Oz, Mike Roizen, King Features Syndicate
Note: Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, 
M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at 
Cleveland Clinic.
Page: 7

Medical Advice

Drs. Oz & Roizen

SOME NEW FACTS ABOUT MARIJUANA

With clever names like Peace of Mind, Girl Scout Cookies, Train Wreck 
and Tsunami, it's a good bet that the marketers of legal marijuana 
finished high school. That's less certain for their younger 
customers. New research shows daily marijuana use before the age of 
17 cuts your chances of graduating from high school or getting a 
college degree by 60 percent. And that info's just the tip of the 
joint. Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in Washington 
and Colorado, and for medical purposes in 19 other states plus the 
District of Columbia, scientists are able to study the drug more 
closely. The result is an outpouring of data on marijuana's formerly 
unknown or underappreciated risks.

One new study found that 40 percent of cannabis-using adolescents 
receiving treatment for substance abuse report symptoms of 
withdrawal-a true marker for drug dependence (addiction). And kids 
are eight times more likely to use illicit drugs later in life if 
they smoke marijuana regularly. Another study found that adolescents 
who smoke pot daily shed an average of six IQ points by adulthood; 
points you're not getting back, and that can mean the difference 
between an engaged, rewarding life and not!

So just because the drug is legal in some places, doesn't mean it's 
smart to use it. Like Derek Jeter says: "If you have dreams and 
aspirations to be successful, drugs and alcohol are only going to 
alter those dreams. Try to stay away from them and find something 
more productive to do with your time."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom