Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Are Cigarettes More of a Drag on Teens than Marijuana?

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN


New study shows that adolescents who toke up function better than those who also use tobacco

By Lisa Stein

Reefer madness? Apparently not, according to a new Swiss survey of students that concludes teenagers who smoke pot function better than those who also use tobacco. In addition, researchers at the University of Lausanne report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, teens who only use marijuana are apparently more socially driven and have no more psychosocial problems than those who neither smoke nor toke.

The scientists surveyed 5,263 Swiss students (2,439 females) aged 16 to 20 years, including 455 who said they smoked weed only; 1,703 who reported being tobacco and marijuana users; and 3,105 who said they did not imbibe at all.

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