[EXSCINDED]

PONE-D-19-16918

Cognitive Aptitude, Peers, and Trajectories of Marijuana Use from Adolescence through Young Adulthood

PLOS ONE

Dear Dr Kelly,

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​Please complete all changes suggested by the reviewer below. We believe your article has merit and warrants publication in PLOS ONE if the revisions are made.

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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Reviewer #1: The focus of this manuscript is the potential impact of cognitive aptitude during adolescence on trajectories of marijuana use through age 26. The manuscript addresses a timely health behavior, presents a clear argument, and is well-written. While there are many strengths, there are also some major and minor concerns.

Major

The dependent variable for the analyses presented in this manuscript are latent classes of marijuana use based on trajectories over a ten-year period. However, all independent variables are from the baseline data. While this is less of a concern for the more variables more likely to be fixed (e.g., basic demographics), it is reasonable to expect that peer groups from age 16 to 26 would be very dynamic. Was peer use assessed at the multiple data collection time points? Can it be examined as a time-varying predictor? Similar comment for depression.

The most recent year data was collected is 2011 – almost 9 years old. What evidence suggests that the findings from this cohort would generalize to the current generation of adolescents transitioning into adulthood?

Minor

Page 16, Line 365. The text states the “analyses below” in reference to “Table 2”. You may want to consider referencing “Table 3” specifically rather than “below” for clarity.

Page 21, Line 469. Given that higher cognitive aptitude was associated with consistent use, it would be better to use “heavier” rather than “long-term”.

Please include sample sizes and referent groups for all tables.

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Reviewer #1: No

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Cognitive Aptitude, Peers, and Trajectories of Marijuana Use from Adolescence through Young Adulthood

PONE-D-19-16918R1

Dear Dr. Kelly,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it complies with all outstanding technical requirements.

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With kind regards,

Samantha S. Goldfarb, DrPH

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments: