Children who smoke cannabis before their 15th birthday perform much worse in mental tests than those who start at a later age, warn researchers.
A study of chronic cannabis users found those who started in their early teens struggled with a range of neuropsychological tasks.
But those who started later did not have the same difficulties, says a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
The findings add to growing evidence that the drug damages the developing brain, with greater harm caused by early exposure.
Marijuana is the most common illicit drug among adolescents in the UK with more than four in ten admitting having taken it.
Research carried out at the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil looked at the mental functioning of 100 cannabis users after around ten years of consistent use, and almost 50 non-users.
They found 49 ‘early’ users whose habit began before the age of 15 were much worse at sustained attention, impulse control and executive functioning.
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