Men who smoked marijuana heavily at age 18 are more likely to end up registered as disabled by the time they reach 60, researchers warned.

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used unlawful drugs in the world, with 77 million Europeans reporting having tried it in a recent study.

The researchers found that men who used marijuana more than 50 times before the age of 18 were 30 percent more likely to go on disability sometime between the ages of 40 and 59.

The research bases on a study with a group of Swedish soldiers. The group consisted of 98 percent of the male population and the study continued for 39 years. The researchers had the opportunity to expand on existing knowledge. They analyzed data from a large study that included almost 50,000 men born between 1949 and 1951 and enrolled into compulsory military service in 1969 and 1970.

When the men entered the army, they were asked about their drug, tobacco and alcohol use, as well as questions about their family and social backgrounds, school performance, behavior, psychological issues and general health.

The research team was specifically interested in the frequency of marijuana use at age 18, when the men were enrolled. The young men were grouped according to how often they had ever used marijuana at that point: never, 1‐10 times, 11‐50 times or more than 50 times. Next, the study team looked at data from the Swedish national social insurance agency, the education registry and labor market statistics（统计数据） to see how many were granted disability pensions through 2008.

About 9 percent of the teens reported having used marijuana when they entered the military, and 1.5 percent said they had used it more than 50 times.

Despite the study’s limitations, the findings highlight the need for further studies on marijuana and other illicit drug use in relation to possible health and social consequences. 

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1.What was investigated of the Swedish soldiers when they entered the military service?

A Date of birth.

B Occupation.

C School performance.

D Disability pension.

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。根据文章第五段可知，新兵入伍初期，将询问其是否吸毒，是否喝酒抽烟，家庭社会背景，学校表现，健康情况等。故选C。

2.How many of the surveyed soldiers were possibly disabled later in life according to the passage?

A 4500

B 750

C 1350

D 250

解析：选D。D。数值计算题。根据文章第三、四段可知，参与研究的被试有50,000名，9%有吸食大麻的情况，即4,500人，有1.5%的人吸食大麻超过50次，即750人，这些人中将有30%的人在40—59岁之间极有可能出现某一方面的残疾。即250人。

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A Many soldiers use drugs in the western countries.

B Marijuana use is a big problem in Europe.

C Using marijuana before 18 can lead to disability later in life.

D Education is very important in one’s military service.

解析：选B。B。推理判断题。根据文章第二段with 77 million Europeans reporting having tried it可知，有大批的欧洲人曾吸食大麻，由此判断，吸食大麻在欧洲是一个很严重的社会问题。

4.What can be concluded from the study?

A More research on the effects drug use has on health is necessary.

B There are still limitations of the study about marijuana to one’s health.

C Drug use is illegal and does harm to people’s health.

D Drug use will cause a lot of social problems.

解析：选A。A。细节理解题。根据文章最后一段可知，人们将进一步深入研究吸食毒品对健康的影响。

5.Why does the author write this passage?

A To draw people’s attention to the effects of marijuana use.

B To present the result of a research on marijuana use.

C To draw people’s attention to the life of Swedish soldiers.

D To call the government to stop youngsters using marijuana.

解析：选A。A。推理判断题。本文介绍了吸食大麻对人们健康的影响，由此推断，这篇文章的目的在于提醒人们关注吸食大麻的严重后果，告诫人们远离毒品。