High-achieving teenagers are more likely to drink and smoke cannabis

High achieving youngsters are more likely to smoke cannabis and drink alcohol in their formative teenage years, a new study has claimed.

According to research from University College London, high academic achievement at the age of 11 has been linked to lower rates of smoking tobacco.

But high achievers were also said to be more likely to drink alcohol in their teenage years and to smoke cannabis, in contrast to their less academically gifted peers.

The findings came after experts examined date from more than 6,059 youngsters across England and gathered information based on their academic achievement at age 11, which was then collated with health behaviours from 13/14 to 16/17.

They also examined data from ages 18/19 to 19/20, which is classed as late adolescence.

The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, also dispelled the notion of ‘experimenting’ with the substances – and found that the patterns persisted into adulthood, as opposed to a brief period of flirtation with the Class B drug.

Researchers from University College London wrote: ‘High childhood academic at age 11 is associated with a reduced risk of cigarette smoking but an increased risk of drinking alcohol regularly and cannabis use.

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‘These associations persist into early adulthood, providing evidence against the hypothesis that high academic ability is associated with temporary ‘experimentation’ with substance use.’