As marijuana gains wider acceptance around the world, people are using it for different reasons, including medical purposes, relieving anxiety, or simply for recreation.
However, recent research suggests that adults over 30 should think carefully before continuing to use marijuana. This age group may face some potential downsides if they keep smoking.
Research from Australia indicates that using marijuana after the age of 30 could lead to lower levels of success in life. Scientists at The University of Queensland conducted a study involving over 8,000 mothers and 2,000 children, tracking their marijuana and amphetamine use at ages 21 and 30.
They measured success in nine areas: education, income, home ownership, relationship status, reported happiness, and a few other criteria. The study showed that people who continued using marijuana past the age of 30 had lower success rates in these areas compared to those who either never used it or stopped before 30.
However, it’s important to note that this study has limitations. First, the data is from Australia and only includes mothers, which means it might not apply universally, especially to men or to people in different cultures. Also, some of the data goes back to 1981, which may not fully reflect today’s global situation.
The criteria used to measure “success” can also be debated. For example, owning a home and being in a relationship were counted as signs of success. But home ownership can depend on many factors, like personal choice or the cost of living in a certain area.
More people today prefer a digital nomad lifestyle, where they travel and don’t settle in one place, making home ownership less of a priority. Similarly, relationship status is a complex measure of success. Many people lead successful single lives, and being in a relationship doesn’t automatically mean success for everyone.
Another limitation is that the study didn’t account for the use of other drugs. The researchers admitted that they lacked data on people who might be using drugs like ecstasy, opiates, or synthetic drugs. This means that for some participants, the negative outcomes could be due to using multiple drugs rather than just marijuana and amphetamines.
This study doesn’t suggest that experimenting with marijuana in your younger years guarantees failure as an adult. Instead, it highlights that continuing drug use, especially heavy use, might impact different aspects of life. For people over 30, regularly using marijuana might interfere with their work, relationships, finances, and overall well-being.