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class="MsoNormal">Cannabis can lower your IQ by 8 points if smoked during teenage years.

class="MsoNormal">That’s according to a New Zealand based study of over 1,000 people from birth to age 38.

class="MsoNormal">Smoking cannabis during puberty could disrupt developing brain circuits getting in the way of critical brain development. Cutting down in adulthood or stopping altogether could not reverse the impact.

class="MsoNormal">People who got stoned on a regular basis as teenagers found in adulthood had problems concentrating, paying attention and had memory loss. But people who only started smoking over 18 did not see any problems.

class="MsoNormal">Grass or Hash is available across Ireland in every town and village and teenagers can get it almost everywhere.

class="MsoNormal">Henry McKean spoke to regular cannabis users in their teens, adults who smoked dope during puberty and Dr Garret McGovern an expert in drug addiction treatment.

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