Survey of Professionals Who Work with Adolescents
The North Carolina Division of Public Health is working to create the Adolescent Health Resource Center for the state of North Carolina. The center is designed to inform the public on health topics related to adolescent health, and is intended to reach adolescents, professionals who work with adolescents, and parents of adolescents. Your help is needed to build the Adolescent Health Resource Center website. Any professional in North Carolina, who specifically works with adolescents (10-24 year olds), is being asked to complete a survey designed to measure what adolescent health information professionals would like to see on the website, as well as…
Early-Onset, Regular Cannabis Use Is Linked to IQ Decline
A NIDA-supported 25-year study of 1,000 individuals suggests regular cannabis use that starts in adolescence strips away IQ. Study participants who initiated weekly cannabis use before age 18 dropped IQ points in proportion to how long they persisted in using the drug, while nonusers gained a fraction of a point. “This study is important because we have precious little evidence on whether or not drug use leads to enduring changes in cognition,” says Dr. Steven Grant, chief of the Clinical Neurosciences Branch within NIDA’s Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research. “The issue is critical, because at stake are the…