No wonder so many people have trouble balancing checkbooks. Blame that pot smoking some of you did in school, suggests a new study by three economists who examined the relationship between standardized scores and marijuana use. These researchers collected survey data from about 20 000 people who were in the 10th and 12th grade early 1990s. The information included students’ scores on standardized math and verbal tests, as well as questions about drug use. They found that, controlling for other factors, the periodic use of marijuana “remains statistically associated a 15 percent reduction in performance on standardized math tests,” though verbal test scores did not seem to be affected, reported Rosalie Liccardo Pacula and Jeanne S. Ringel of the Rand Corp. and Karen E. R University of Michigan.

Source: www.washingtompost.com. Sep 2003