[by Dean Smith] Researchers from Australia’s University of South Wales have concluded if a person starts smoking marijuana before age 17, they are 60% less likely to finish college than their counterparts who do not use the drug. They were also more likely to drop out of high school.

While activists try to paint Cannabis as a safe drug to have it legalized, study, after study, after study, and after study are showing that marijuana is anything but safe.

The results of Australian study published in The Lancet Psychiatry showed similar dangerous results. Compared to non users, teens who used Cannabis regularly were:

• Seven times more likely to commit suicide;
• Eight times more likely to use stronger drugs;
• 18 times more likely to develop a long-term dependency on Marijuana; and
• Had a 60% greater chance of dropping out of secondary school.

Speaking on behalf of the research team, lead author Dr. Edmund Silins said:

“Our results provide strong evidence that the prevention or delay of cannabis use is likely to have broad health and social benefits.

Silins cautioned governments on moves to legalize marijuana usage because of the dangerous impact it can have on teens.

The Australian researchers studied data on 3,765 Marijuana users who started using the drug before age 17. These users had been tracked to discover any potential effects of drug usage on seven areas including suicide, depression and education.

With a growing perception it is a harmless drug, teens are increasingly starting to use Marijuana. Not only are more teens using it, but they are starting at a younger age.

According to the Australian report, 4% of Australian teens between the ages of 14 to 19 use Marijuana on a weekly basis with 25% of this group using it daily. This is comparable to the 4% figure reported in England for the 11 to 15 age group who said they used Marijuana in the last month. In the US, 7% of senior high teens reported using Marijuana daily.

The Blindness

I am always mystified when I see this type of thing happening. Despite evidence to the contrary, the world runs headlong into these type of decisions. States and countries are rushing legalize marijuana. It is like a race to appear more progressive.

I remember as a boy having a horse who refused to cross a train track. Every time, I came to a track I would try to urge her across. She would balk and even rear up to stop from crossing. I would get off and try to pull her across with the reigns, but she would plant her front hooves and refuse to budge.

The only way I could get her to cross the tracks was to take off my jacket or shirt and put it over her head and lead her over. Despite having just seen the tracks, as soon as I covered her eyes and she could no longer see them, everything was fine and we walked over without a hint of a problem.

Paul says the world suffers from the very same condition.

In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NASV)

Satan has ability to throw a jacket over people’s eyes so they are closed to their need for Jesus Christ. People’s minds are blinded to the truth. They choose instead to believe a lie.

If Satan is able to blind people’s eyes to the gospel, I suspect he is quite capable of blinding us in other areas as well.

 

Read more:

• Teenagers who smoke cannabis daily are 60% less likely to finish school – and are more likely to commit suicide, experts warn: Daily Mail