By Selwyn Duke

“I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from … cigarettes.” This sentiment, expressed by Barack Obama in January and shared by millions, has once again been challenged — this time by an academic review of 20-years worth of research.

The handiwork of Dr. Wayne Hall, a professor of addiction policy at King's College London and drug advisor for the World Health Organization, the review implicates cannabis in a whole host of health problems, but, in particular, in mental-health issues and addiction among habitual users — especially teenagers. Writes the Daily Mail:

           Professor Hall found:

• One in six teenagers who regularly smoke the drug become dependent on it

• Cannabis doubles the risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia

• Cannabis users do worse at school. Heavy use in adolescence appears to impair intellectual development

• One in ten adults who regularly smoke the drug become dependent on it and those who use it are more likely to go on to use harder drugs

• Driving after smoking cannabis doubles the risk of a car crash, a risk which increases substantially if the driver has also had a drink

• Smoking it while pregnant reduces the baby's birth weight

… ‘There is no doubt that heavy users experience a withdrawal syndrome as with alcohol and heroin,’ [Hall said].

‘Rates of recovery from cannabis dependence among those seeking treatment are similar to those for alcohol.’

Read the rest here.