Marijuana continues to become more commonplace throughout the United States as legalization grows. Of course, there has been growing concern over the potential health risks associated with increasing use within the community particularly among teens who will start using marijuana early in life and carry it on for many decades.

But now a new study published in the scientific journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors by the American Psychological Association says that these concerns may be unfounded.

The study examined 408 males from the age of adolescence into their mid-30s. The researchers—from both the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Rutgers University—cut the participants into four groups. One group used very little marijuana or none at all. The second group was chronic smokers; the third group smoked during their teens, but no later; and the fourth group began using later in life and continued to use the group.

And this early chronic user group smoked more than 200 days out of the year, on average, by the time they were 22 years old.

“What we found was a little surprising,” explains lead researcher Jordan Bechtold, PhD. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center psychology research fellow goes on to say, “There were no differences in any of the mental or physical health outcomes that we measured regardless of the amount or frequency of marijuana used during adolescence.”

And sure enough, in this study, the researchers found no link between physical and mental issues and high use of marijuana. For the study, these “issues” include asthma, depression, and psychotic symptoms.

Bechtold also adds, “We wanted to help inform the debate about legalization of marijuana, but it’s a very complicated issue and one study should not be taken in isolation.”