How does starting early affect the future?

An early start to cannabis use can impair concentration and memory and, in the worst case, put a school or vocational qualification at risk. The reason lies in brain development: the young brain is in an important phase of development, and cannabis can disrupt this development. According to the prevention site cannabispraevention.de, how high the risk is depends on the age of the person using and on how often they use.

What does an early start mean?

An early start here means use before the 18th birthday. From the age of 18, possession of 25 grams or less of cannabis is permitted (section 3(1) of the Cannabis Act (KCanG)). The fact that the age limit is 18 does not mean that use before then has no consequences. According to prevention, young people are particularly at risk.

What happens in the young brain?

The prevention site describes the young brain as an organ in an important phase of development. According to the same site, THC disrupts the maturation processes in the brain. An analysis presented on drugcom.de describes brain changes in people who started using cannabis before the age of 18. According to drugcom, the connection has not yet been fully clarified. It is likewise not conclusively established whether the brain of young people recovers after a break.

It is important to put this in context: these are associations found in groups. According to cannabispraevention.de, the longer and more often someone uses cannabis, and the younger they are, the greater the health risk.

School, training and memory

The prevention site cites concentration as an example: frequent cannabis use disrupts it, and this can lead to problems at school and in training. In the worst case, the school or vocational qualification is at risk, because memory works much less well.

The drugcom drug lexicon cites convincing evidence that an early start to use leads to lasting impairments of cognitive performance. Whether small impairments remain beyond that, which can be traced to lasting brain damage, is described there as scientifically not yet clearly settled. At the same time, a study of 88 participants aged 16 to 25 shows that memory improved as early as the week after the last use. According to drugcom, how lasting these changes are remains open.

• Concentration: it suffers with frequent use, and this leads to problems in lessons or training.
• Cognitive performance: after an early start, impairments are lasting, according to the drugcom lexicon.
• Recovery: memory can improve after stopping, but how long this improvement lasts is open.

Mental health: psychosis and mood

The drugcom drug lexicon describes it as not yet considered proven beyond doubt whether cannabis can trigger lasting psychoses. Research increasingly suggests that a separate cannabis psychosis does not exist, and that cannabis may trigger a schizophrenia that was previously hidden. An analysis presented on drugcom gives an 11-fold higher risk of a psychotic disorder for 12- to 19-year-olds who use cannabis. Such figures describe a statistical association and do not prove that cannabis causes the disorder. For people with an inborn tendency towards psychosis, according to cannabispraevention.de, even small amounts of cannabis could be enough.

What the law says for young people

The Cannabis Act (KCanG) sets limits that directly affect young people. Using cannabis in the immediate presence of minors is prohibited (section 5(1) KCanG). Public use is prohibited on school grounds and children's playgrounds, as well as in children's and youth facilities and on publicly accessible sports grounds, in each case also within sight of these places (section 5(2) KCanG). Only people aged 18 can become members of a cannabis association (Anbauvereinigung) (section 16(1) KCanG).

Supplying or passing on cannabis is a criminal offence (section 34 KCanG). For particularly serious cases, the law provides for imprisonment from three months up to five years. It names as a typical example the passing on to a child or a young person by someone over 21 years of age.

Why research remains cautious

Many studies show associations, which do not always reflect causes. This is often because family, circle of friends and other influences are hard to separate out. According to drugcom, one study on early use took family circumstances into account, while circles of friends were left out. This is a reason not to treat the results as a final verdict.

What you can do today

An early start cannot be undone. What you can change is the course from here. These steps help in everyday life:

1. Observe how often and in which situations you use. A use diary is enough for this.
2. Pay attention to school, training and sleep. If learning or concentration decline, take this seriously.
3. Talk to a trusted person or a counselling service before problems take hold.
4. For questions, you can reach the Sucht & Drogen Hotline on 01806 313031 (daily 8:00 to 24:00, charged, with a fee per call). drugcom.de also offers a cannabis check for self-assessment.

Further reading

If you want to know how to tell habit from dependence, the article on habits in cannabis use helps. An overview of all topics in this area is in the prevention and youth protection category.