One study [2] shows nearly half of college students said they consumed marijuana. Eight percent reported they used it daily or nearly every day. One in 5 high school students [3] used marijuana in the preceding 30 days.

But there are real dangers associated with the substance, as a 2020 report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows [4]. Abundant research [5] demonstrates how exposure to marijuana during childhood impacts later cognitive ability, including memory, attention, motivation and learning. Studies have linked regular cannabis use in adolescents with lower IQs [6] in adulthood and higher propensity to drop out of high school [7]. This association persists in college-age students. One large study [8] followed college students and found frequency of marijuana use to correlate with skipping classes, lower grade-point average and longer time to graduation.