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.

CANNABIS. Scots professor says drug triggers schizophrenia…

THE campaign to legalise cannabis has suffered a severe setback after a leading Scots academic linked the drug to schizophrenia. Professor Roger Pertwee had been investigating the positive elements of the drug, including claims it can ease pain in cancer and multiple sclerosis sufferers.
But his research found that cannabis use can lead to cancer, heart failure and mental illness. Prof Pertwee said: “I am against cannabis being made available for recreational use because, like other drugs, it has powerful adverse affects. For some people the biggest risk is that it produces signs of schizophrenia. There is evidence that if you are genetically pre-disposed to schizophrenia, then cannabis can trigger it. There are people who appear perfectly normal and have no idea they are prone to the condition.’ The professor, who is based at Aberdeen University, has been studying the medical benefits of cannabis since 1968 and helped launch a £1million research project last year.

Prof Pertwee said: ‘My worry is that the more widely available cannabis becomes the more people will put themselves at risk of schizophrenia. Most people are safe from this effect. although very high doses of cannabis can induce paranoia.” Other major dangers from the drug include cancer and heart disease. Cannabis contains twice as much tar as tobacco and as users tend to inhale the smoke deeply and bold it in for as long as possible, the risks are even greater.  A study in New Zealand found smoking cannabis five times a week does as much lung damage as 20 cigarettes a day. And American scientists have found that regular marijuana smokers are 30 times more likely to get cancer of the neck, mouth throat and larynx than those who don’t.  Prof Pertwee said: ‘There is a risk of cancer, but it is mainly from the tars not the constituents of the cannabis plant material. Of course if you smoke both cannabis and cigarettes the risks of cancer are even greater’ The professor also warned that young cannabis users can stunt their development.

He said ‘The drug affects hormone levels, including the sex hormone testosterore There is good reason to be worried about youngsters going through puberty and taking cannabis.’ One Swedish patient started smoking before he was 12 and was a heavy user by 15. Doctors found that he was shorter than other boys his age and less developed sexually. Cannabis can also increase your risk of having a heart attack. Researchers in Boston, USA. found the risk goes up nearly five times in the first hour after smoking a joint. For someone in their 20s, the risk is low, but for older people, it could be fatal. Prof Pertwee said: “What causes the risk to go up is that cannabis speeds up the heart rate  bad news if you suffer from angina.” And the chances of having an accident are higher under the drugs influence. The professor added: “Using it while driving wouldn’t be advisable because of how it affects a persons time sense. “Cannabis has the opposite affect of alcohol. Alcohol makes time appear to go past more quickly, while cannabis makes a minute seem like an hour, That is a danger enough, but cannabis also affects co ordination.”