Researchers say exercise can help people stop craving, using marijuana

By Staff Writer

A new study from Vanderbilt University researchers reveals that exercise can help people kick their cannabis habit.

The report, which appears in the journal PLoS ONE, is the first to link physical activity and a reduced marijuana use among people who do not want to quit. The study included 12 participants - eight female and four male - who were dependent on cannabis and had no desire to stop smoking it.

Participants exercised on a treadmill for 10 half-hour sessions over a two-week period. The researchers found that the volunteers' craving for and use of marijuana decreased by 50 percent at the end of the study. The report's co-author said that their dependence on pot actually reduced halfway through the experiment, only after five treadmill sessions.

These findings are significant because past studies claimed that medication was the only effective treatment to help curb marijuana dependence. Recent reports have proved that marijuana use among young people can inhibit brain development and potentially lead to psychosis.

Many problem teens who use cannabis can benefit from tough love. Parents may consider signing their children up for the gym or encouraging them to join a team sport.