Marijuana Legalization: Cannabis Makes You Short? Boys Who Smoke are Shorter Than Those Who Don't

Boys who frequently use marijuana may be shorter than those who don't as cannabis can affect physical development during puberty, says a new study.

Based on the new study, smoking marijuana regularly may cause the early onset of puberty and slow physical growth and development among boys, the Daily Mail has learned.

The study was conducted using hormones found in the blood of more than 400 boys, half of the said number smoked pot two to three times a day.

Researchers found out that boys who habitually smoked blunt were 4.6 inches shorter and had four kilograms less in weight than non-cannabis smokers, according to the UK Mirror.

Scientists also learned that marijuana users have higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in their saliva.

"Marijuana use may provoke a stress response that stimulates onset of puberty but suppresses growth rate," said lead researcher Dr. Syed Shakeel Raza Rizvi of Pakistan's Agriculture University Rawalpindi.

Accoridng to the UK Telegraph, the study was presented at the annual meeting of the European Congress of Endocrinology in Dublin.

Cannabis is said to be the most common prohibited drug across Europe and more than 80 million Europeans have taken it at least once.

A European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) report says cannabis use is highest among the 15–24 years age bracket.

"Early puberty is associated with younger age of onset of drinking and smoking, and early matures have higher levels of substance abuse because they enter the risk period at an early level of emotional maturity," Dr. Rizvi said.

This is the first study that probed deep into the effects of cannabis in pre-teen boys, and it basically supports the previously presented idea that smoking pot can affect the body's growth and development.

Marijuana, a drug that is also very common in the U.S. according to the NIH Drug Facts, is taken by smoking hand-rolled cigarettes or joints of cannabis leaves. Some people even use pipes or bongs to inhale larger amounts of the intoxicating smoke.

Cannabis can also be ingested through food. Other users mix it in brownies, candy or cookies. Still, there are some who prefer to brew the marijuana leaves and drink the concoction as tea.

Marijuana causes the body to feel "high" because of its mind-altering component called Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.

Short-term effects of the durg include: impaired memory, altered senses, sluggish body movement, mind haze or difficulty in thinking.

Long-term effects include permanently reduced learning and thinking capacity.