Regular marijuana use early in life – as well as delayed quitting of such use – increases the likelihood of eventual unemployment, according to the results of a recent study.

Surveys of 674 individuals – taken periodically between the ages of 14 and 36 – found that:

• Chronic users were more than two and a half times as likely to be unemployed in their 30s vs non-users

• Delayed quitters were nearly three times as likely to be jobless compared to those who never used

The surveys were taken by students attending school in the East Harlem section of New York, 53% of whom were black and 47% Puerto Rican. 60% were women.

Researchers suggested increased access to marijuana quit programs for students, as well as unemployment interventions that address cannabis use later on.

Citation: Lee Y, Brook J, Finch S, et al. Trajectories of marijuana use from adolescence to adulthood predicting unemployment in the mid 30s. Am J Addict. 2015;24:452 –459.