Marijuana use linked to later illness

A new American report suggests that teenagers who smoke marijuana face as much as a 40 per cent greater risk of mental illness and higher rates of depression later in life compared to those who do not, the Washington Post reported.

“What’s new in this report,” said Larry Greenhill, president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “is that it documents how serious the impact is of what was thought to be a mild recreational [drug].”

Teenagers who smoke at least once a month are three times more likely to think about committing suicide than non-users, according to the report. Girls who use the illicit drug were found to be especially at risk of developing depression later in life.