The high school years are some of the most important in your son’s or daughter’s life. This is the time when poor academic performance can compromise a teen’s future because low grades and test scores limit options after graduation. As teens enter high school they are at an increased risk for drug use and drinking. While overall drug use among teens is down in recent years, be sure your teen remains drug-free during these critical learning years.

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Marijuana can limit your teen’s academic achievement.

• Marijuana can hinder a teen’s ability to learn. Heavy marijuana use impairs young people’s ability to concentrate and retain information.¹
• Marijuana use is linked to poorer grades. A teen with a "D" average is 4 times more likely to have used marijuana than a teen with an "A" average.
• Some frequent, long-term marijuana users show signs of lack of motivation (amotivational syndrome). Lack of motivation or concern about the future can lead to poor performance in school.
• Marijuana and underage drinking are linked to higher dropout rates. Students who drink or use drugs frequently are up to five times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school.³ A teenage marijuana user’s odds of dropping out are more than twice that of a non-user.⁴

Many parents still don’t understand that marijuana is harmful. But research shows it’s a stronger drug than it used to be and kids are starting to experiment at younger ages. Know the facts and share them with your teen. The rules you set and enforce today can make all the difference in your teen’s life tomorrow.

Signed:

American Academy of Family Physicians
American Council on Education
American School Counselor Association
ASPIRA Association, Inc.
Balfour
Educational Testing Service
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education
National PTA
National Student Assistance Association
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Students Against Destructive Decisions
United Negro College Fund
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation

¹ Pope HG; Gruber AJ; Hudson JI; Cohane G; Huestis MA; Yurgelun-Todd D. Early-Onset cannabis use and cognitive deficits: what is the nature of the association? Drug and Alcohol Dependence, April 1; 69 (3): 303-310 (ISSN: 0376-8716), 2003.
² The NHSDA Report: Marijuana use among youths. SAMHSA, 2002. Based on data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse 2000.
³ The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). Malignant Neglect: Substance Abuse and America's Schools. New York: Columbia University, 2001.
⁴Bray JW; Zarkin GA; Ringwalt C; Qui J. The relationship between marijuana initiation and dropping out of school. Health Economics, January; 9(1): 9-18, 2000.