BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Teenagers who use
marijuana put themselves at high risk for serious mental problems: including
worsening depression, schizophrenia, anxiety and suicide, according to a new
White House report.
A teen who has been depressed at some point in the
past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have
not reported being depressed -- 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the
report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
The intention of the report, said John Walters,
director of the office, is to "try to correct two misunderstandings: That teen
depression is not a problem and that teen marijuana use is not a problem -
marijuana use is not safe."
The report also cited research that showed that teens
who smoke marijuana when feeling depressed are more than twice as likely as
their peers to abuse or become addicted to pot -- 8 percent compared with 3
percent.
Marijuana is one of the world's most commonly used
illegal drugs. There are approximately 300 million users worldwide and 28
million users in the United States alone.
"The benign quality of marijuana, which has been an
assumption since the '60s, is now seriously questioned by researchers,
scientists and doctors," said Larry Greenhill, president-elect of the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Teenage girls are especially at risk, the report
said.
"Girls who smoke marijuana daily are significantly
more likely to develop symptoms of depression and anxiety: Their odds are more
than five times higher than those of girls who do not smoke marijuana," it said.
Since 2001, marijuana use among American teens has
decreased 25 percent. Currently, about 2.3 million children use marijuana at
least once a month, according to the drug control office.
(Agencies)
