Butthead

I don't know that this "news" story is all that interesting or informative, but the headline deserves a fucking award of some sort:

Study: Smoking Makes Teenagers Stupid

Feb 1, 2005 1:48 pm US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) (NEW HAVEN, Conn.) Parents have been telling teens for years that smoking is stupid. Now, a study suggests it can make teens stupid.

The Yale School of Medicine study found that teenage smokers scored significantly poorer on working memory tests than nonsmokers. The gap between smokers and nonsmokers widened as smokers went through nicotine withdrawal.

Working memory is used to keep information in mind and manipulate it. The study of 73 adolescents was published in the January issue of Biological Psychiatry.

Earlier studies have linked cigarettes to memory problems in adults.

"These findings underscore the importance of efforts aimed at preventing smoking initiation in adolescents," said Dr. Leslie Jacobsen, a Yale professor and researcher. "They also show adolescents who are trying to quit smoking may need additional educational support."