A new study has been released from The University of New Mexico School of Medicine comparing the mental abilities of teens that abused alcohol and marijuana to those who abstained from drugs. The results of this research are reported in the study Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Overall, this new study supports the idea that alcohol and marijuana use impairs the mental abilities of teens. ...

Alcohol, to an adolescent, is often seen as a rite of passage. Many teenagers view alcohol (as well as other drugs) as a gateway to adulthood, but are often blissfully unaware of the damage that it can cause to their bodies. A new study of the effects of excessive alcohol and other drugs in adolescents has shown that both alcohol and marijuana overuse can cause serious detrimental effects on the development ...

The incidence of psychotic disorders varies greatly across places and demographic groups, as do symptoms, course, and treatment response across individuals. High rates of schizophrenia in large cities, and among immigrants, cannabis users, and traumatized individuals reflect the causal influence of environmental exposures. This, in combination with progress in the area of molecular genetics, has generated i ...

Legalizing the production and distribution of marijuana in California could cut the price of the drug by as much as 80 percent and increase consumption, according to a new study by the nonprofit RAND Corporation that examines many issues raised by proposals to legalize marijuana in the state. Researchers could not determine the whether legalizing marijuana may increase or decrease drug treatment costs. Chec ...

Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Previous studies have identified an association between cannabis use and psychosis, accordi ...

Adolescence is a period of significant developmental change when health patterns are being established. Decisions that youths make about tobacco, alcohol, and drug use can have both immediate and long-term health consequences for themselves, their families, and their communities. Adolescents' attitudes about the risks associated with substance use are often closely related to their substance use, with an in ...

Methamphetamine use among teens appears to have dropped significantly in recent years according to NIDA's annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey that was released at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. However, the survey also reported that declines in marijuana use have stalled and that prescription drug abuse remains high. The Monitoring the Future survey is a series of classroo ...

Adolescence (12 to 17 years) is a critical and vulnerable stage of human development, during which males and females experience different biological, social, and cognitive changes. During this life stage, millions of adolescents experiment with substance use and engage in behaviors that can affect healthy neurological and psychological development.  Understanding the behavioral health differences between ad ...

The current Science Daily Research News Update brings a wide variety of interesting new research that covers brain waves and attention, re-conceptualization of migraine headaches, HIV and marijuana, daily drinking that leads to binge drinking, healthy living on the decline in the U.S., sneaky viruses, how the brain processes speech, smoking cessation and teens, a new approaches that could eradicate HIV/AIDS ...