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Realistically, whats the chance you can get a statistically significant result in the very hostile environment that surrounds cannabis use from such a very broa

Realistically, whats the chance you can get a statistically significant result in the very hostile environment that surrounds cannabis use from such a very broad study? They couldn't closely control the purity, variety or frequency of cannabis use. They obviously can't control for social stigma. I guess this is just my general displeasure at articles fishing for correlations in a sea of bad data, longing for that resolving barrier of "statistical significance".

gillett 14y ago
Normally I would agree with you, but the controls you are calling for are unrealistic. While I'm no expert in the field, this is clearly not the first study to suggest long-term cognitive decline in adolescent-onset users, and any evidence that can support previous findings, albeit very small, is important to consider. I think the authors are correct in stating that there is a popular and naive belief among adolescents that cannabis is safe - especially in moderation - and the evidence to date does nothing but refute that. Hell, in this study they found a statistically significant IQ drop (over the course of 20 years) for adolescent-onset users that only smoked 14 days out of the year on average (the median, to be precise). Even if they do put forth incomplete or questionable conclusions, teens should be exposed to more of these findings and be allowed to think for themselves. They certainly should not have to endure the inane public service announcements that merely reinforce the belief that marijuana is not actually "that bad."
- andreasvc 14y ago
  There is an even more popular and naive belief that drinking alcohol is safe. With the current social conventions and legislation the consumption of this solvent is pervasive and deemed acceptable, while other drugs which are objectively less harmful are criminalized ferociously. It has to be said that all this is a rather arbitrary state of affairs.

gillett 14y ago

Normally I would agree with you, but the controls you are calling for are unrealistic. While I'm no expert in the field, this is clearly not the first study to suggest long-term cognitive decline in adolescent-onset users, and any evidence that can support previous findings, albeit very small, is important to consider. I think the authors are correct in stating that there is a popular and naive belief among adolescents that cannabis is safe - especially in moderation - and the evidence to date does nothing but refute that. Hell, in this study they found a statistically significant IQ drop (over the course of 20 years) for adolescent-onset users that only smoked 14 days out of the year on average (the median, to be precise). Even if they do put forth incomplete or questionable conclusions, teens should be exposed to more of these findings and be allowed to think for themselves. They certainly should not have to endure the inane public service announcements that merely reinforce the belief that marijuana is not actually "that bad."

andreasvc 14y ago
There is an even more popular and naive belief that drinking alcohol is safe. With the current social conventions and legislation the consumption of this solvent is pervasive and deemed acceptable, while other drugs which are objectively less harmful are criminalized ferociously. It has to be said that all this is a rather arbitrary state of affairs.