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International study results in 'raised psychosis risk'.
- Thread starter Strainhunter
- Start date
G
greenmatter
i think it may be an article like that that makes me go crazy ... but not tonight
drugs
drugs
in my country.. wich is small.. 5 mill inhabitants..
It is not looked at as the major contributor to drug use.. ;
But as in many countries they have federal law in somewhat of a use..
The general law is like the most beers.. ;(skip)but drinking beer doesnt make u an inhabitant there..
I wont challenge beer in any way.. i brew it myself.. well havent yet.. but i got equipment for it.. but in the same way u can make "drugs" on ur doorstep.. ive done a bit of reasearch.. i even got the recipy for valium.. and other found attractive to the drug networks...<others..dont!>
but this is serious buisness... all over the globe...</others..dont!>
drugs
in my country.. wich is small.. 5 mill inhabitants..
It is not looked at as the major contributor to drug use.. ;
But as in many countries they have federal law in somewhat of a use..
The general law is like the most beers.. ;(skip)but drinking beer doesnt make u an inhabitant there..
I wont challenge beer in any way.. i brew it myself.. well havent yet.. but i got equipment for it.. but in the same way u can make "drugs" on ur doorstep.. ive done a bit of reasearch.. i even got the recipy for valium.. and other found attractive to the drug networks...<others..dont!>
but this is serious buisness... all over the globe...</others..dont!>
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Yeah, you'll grow man boobs too.
there is definite evidence that anyone with pre-existing condition of schizophrenia and other psychoses have increase risks of reoccurring episodes while using cannabis.
Had a Psychology professor who is licensed and practices. He had a patient who had used LSD in the past and continued to have hallucinations(not using LSD), this was until he stopped using cannabis.
Having a belief system allows people to block this stuff out, i'm sure most people on this website see this as garbage, but, there is usually truth in everything, not saying its exact, but to some extent i believe this. Certain strains, certain people, constant use, i can see as a bad idea(and have noticed with certain people to be true).
However, it isn't very clear if these episodes occur while under the influence(which i could absolutely believe) or when they are sober(which, given certain variables, i could see as truth).
There are sssooo many variables, ultimately, cannabis is a tool for me. It gives me perspective, its not an escape, and my physical ailments i choose to deal with in other ways, granted, sometimes yes, it does "help"
However, if you have an incurable condition that will mostly likely hasten death and is very uncomfortable, then, yeah, habitual use is something to consider.
However, average Joe, no real issues, i think altering your mind and perception constantly does things we do not understand at all. People use things like DMT(understand my scale here, mind altering substances, on some level, DMT being 100, cannabis being 5) and they are forever changed. Look at alcoholics, very different people with constant use, i notice the same thing with people who smoke most of the day and then quit for various reasons, i see two different people during these times.
everything in moderation, most of this is aside from psychosis, but, again, on what level, small changes are still changes.
Had a Psychology professor who is licensed and practices. He had a patient who had used LSD in the past and continued to have hallucinations(not using LSD), this was until he stopped using cannabis.
Having a belief system allows people to block this stuff out, i'm sure most people on this website see this as garbage, but, there is usually truth in everything, not saying its exact, but to some extent i believe this. Certain strains, certain people, constant use, i can see as a bad idea(and have noticed with certain people to be true).
However, it isn't very clear if these episodes occur while under the influence(which i could absolutely believe) or when they are sober(which, given certain variables, i could see as truth).
There are sssooo many variables, ultimately, cannabis is a tool for me. It gives me perspective, its not an escape, and my physical ailments i choose to deal with in other ways, granted, sometimes yes, it does "help"
However, if you have an incurable condition that will mostly likely hasten death and is very uncomfortable, then, yeah, habitual use is something to consider.
However, average Joe, no real issues, i think altering your mind and perception constantly does things we do not understand at all. People use things like DMT(understand my scale here, mind altering substances, on some level, DMT being 100, cannabis being 5) and they are forever changed. Look at alcoholics, very different people with constant use, i notice the same thing with people who smoke most of the day and then quit for various reasons, i see two different people during these times.
everything in moderation, most of this is aside from psychosis, but, again, on what level, small changes are still changes.
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T
the_baked_chef
In the article they state that the effects were significant (which is not very surprising at all if one considers the high sample [N=2000 ]) but nevertheless very small and they conclude that one would have to keep 2500 to 3000 Marihuana users from consuming to "save" (it's actually not really saving because the causal link is only established for an early outbreak in subjects with an prior predisposition to psychotic illnesses - if i understood the paper correct) just one Cannabis user from the ill consequences of his abuse.
Abuse is an important term because they also claimed that the amount of Cannabis use is an important mediator for the established effects.
Furthermore as the mental disorders mentioned in the article tend to develop from onset of puberty up to the age of 25 (in women sadly up to the age of 40) Cannabis users that started smoking at an early age are more likely to suffer from any possible disorder-provoking effects of the plant. (The sample group was - as is standard - mostly subjects in the critical age - which could have led to an overdramatification of any effects)
In other word if you're past the critical age (consider your gender - always consider your gender) or have no known cases of psychotic disorders in your family, you shouldn't be worried to much - at least according to this paper...
In regards to the high number of subjects: with that many subjects the power of any research will get absurdly high (i think we all know the feeling^^) so that you will find significant outcomes for the tiniest differences...
btw. the hypothesized stronger (negative ^^) effects of skunk could not be confirmed
Anyway.. i studied at the university maastricht and that study was already in work when i was there. I have not been part of the team working at the study, but i assisted many other studies there and heard about many more through my friends. It is a common procedure to research until you find the hypothesized effects.
This is absolutly opposed from what science wants, yet im pretty sure that its done almost everywhere.
Without actually knowing the data i would bet that they raised the numbers of subjects during testing until the first SPSS uitprint showed a significant effect.
You should always remember that researchers desperatly need to find significant effects otherwise they could not get the publications they need to rise in their professor ranks..
Research is a dirty buisness - believe me i been there, done the shit and left in a hurry...
A simple and obvious way to check whether a significant effect between Cannabis use and psychotic disorders really does exist would be testing whether there is a strong relation between the development of the estimated numbers of cannabis users and patients with psychotic disorders.
If over the years cannabis usage rose, the number of mental ill people should also rise and so on..
But this Imho this is simply anti-cannabis propaganda.
Obviously there may be a relationship between cannabis and the onset of psychotic disorders, but even the somewhat suspect paper from the UM shows a much smaller relationship than expected.
Sorry for writing so much, but the "mental illness provoking" claim is imho the last statement against legalization and i hate it when a research paper like that is the base for such claims.
ah well - in the end - whatever dude....
Abuse is an important term because they also claimed that the amount of Cannabis use is an important mediator for the established effects.
Furthermore as the mental disorders mentioned in the article tend to develop from onset of puberty up to the age of 25 (in women sadly up to the age of 40) Cannabis users that started smoking at an early age are more likely to suffer from any possible disorder-provoking effects of the plant. (The sample group was - as is standard - mostly subjects in the critical age - which could have led to an overdramatification of any effects)
In other word if you're past the critical age (consider your gender - always consider your gender) or have no known cases of psychotic disorders in your family, you shouldn't be worried to much - at least according to this paper...
In regards to the high number of subjects: with that many subjects the power of any research will get absurdly high (i think we all know the feeling^^) so that you will find significant outcomes for the tiniest differences...
btw. the hypothesized stronger (negative ^^) effects of skunk could not be confirmed
Anyway.. i studied at the university maastricht and that study was already in work when i was there. I have not been part of the team working at the study, but i assisted many other studies there and heard about many more through my friends. It is a common procedure to research until you find the hypothesized effects.
This is absolutly opposed from what science wants, yet im pretty sure that its done almost everywhere.
Without actually knowing the data i would bet that they raised the numbers of subjects during testing until the first SPSS uitprint showed a significant effect.
You should always remember that researchers desperatly need to find significant effects otherwise they could not get the publications they need to rise in their professor ranks..
Research is a dirty buisness - believe me i been there, done the shit and left in a hurry...
A simple and obvious way to check whether a significant effect between Cannabis use and psychotic disorders really does exist would be testing whether there is a strong relation between the development of the estimated numbers of cannabis users and patients with psychotic disorders.
If over the years cannabis usage rose, the number of mental ill people should also rise and so on..
But this Imho this is simply anti-cannabis propaganda.
Obviously there may be a relationship between cannabis and the onset of psychotic disorders, but even the somewhat suspect paper from the UM shows a much smaller relationship than expected.
Sorry for writing so much, but the "mental illness provoking" claim is imho the last statement against legalization and i hate it when a research paper like that is the base for such claims.
ah well - in the end - whatever dude....
damn.. just wrote alot... but wrong button..
thnx chef
keep reading those reports =)
Anywho.. I have been without cannabis for over 2 years now, smoking too much made me have panic attacks resulting in me quitting drugs altogether.
Yet, my desire has not gone away and I have gained a new interest, science, in its most complex way, "Receptor theory". posting this so i dont jump buttons again.. =)
thnx chef
keep reading those reports =)Anywho.. I have been without cannabis for over 2 years now, smoking too much made me have panic attacks resulting in me quitting drugs altogether.
Yet, my desire has not gone away and I have gained a new interest, science, in its most complex way, "Receptor theory". posting this so i dont jump buttons again.. =)
I`ve gotten pshychoses from smoking the stuff, and after 2 years im still not clear it..
But I smoked alot.. and by alot i mean ALOT, 14 years all day..
Its wise to give your brain a breeder now and then
If u got pshychoses from smoking too much, take a break or quit altogether, then you will be better able to decide.
But I smoked alot.. and by alot i mean ALOT, 14 years all day..
Its wise to give your brain a breeder now and then
If u got pshychoses from smoking too much, take a break or quit altogether, then you will be better able to decide.
Mr.Gr33n
Active member
thing is note, you had psychosis already
The smoke just made it stand up and shout 'hello' lol
iv smoked on/off over the past 15 years or so
have had a good few paranoia attacks,
Funny thing, it only happens when i am real tired, but smoked outta habbit
Some people just cant handle smoke,
But i know even more that cant handle alcohol
They get into fights, start things with no reason and just become beer monsters
iv yet to see a weed smoker get admitted to hospital due to smoking to much
Same cant be said for heavy drinkers.
The smoke just made it stand up and shout 'hello' lol
iv smoked on/off over the past 15 years or so
have had a good few paranoia attacks,
Funny thing, it only happens when i am real tired, but smoked outta habbit
Some people just cant handle smoke,
But i know even more that cant handle alcohol
They get into fights, start things with no reason and just become beer monsters
iv yet to see a weed smoker get admitted to hospital due to smoking to much
Same cant be said for heavy drinkers.
dont know what I was trying to say in the first post.. so I`ll try again as it is an interesting subject.
You may experience psychosis using this drug if your disposed to that "illness", either its genetic or present from situations.. nevertheless.. there is some sort of cure for it, in my case that is, and that is respecting your own use of it, and the best is to take a trip in a forrest and see the nature.. that should get u down on the ground again..
If you got any experiences and/or solutions I`d be happy to know =)
Thnx Strainhunter for the post
You may experience psychosis using this drug if your disposed to that "illness", either its genetic or present from situations.. nevertheless.. there is some sort of cure for it, in my case that is, and that is respecting your own use of it, and the best is to take a trip in a forrest and see the nature.. that should get u down on the ground again..
If you got any experiences and/or solutions I`d be happy to know =)
Thnx Strainhunter for the post
bbing
Active member
No one ever studies how preventing individuals who might otherwise benefit from regular ingestion of cannabis , turns them into assholes....
Hawthorne Effect.....<----
You can predict the exact opposite and show significance or correlation....that way with anecdotal studies.
Random Assignment. N 2000 excludes pre-existing smokers and reported prior psychosis.......what did they base significance on?
the 3 people who developed psychosis after a couple years of smoking pot....WRONG
Its the same confound as GATEWAY DRUG studies!!!!!!
Most schizo's and psychotic folks have co-occuring disorders that CAN NOT be teased out so easily as this study suggests....
Cant believe this damn study keeps getting re-iterated.....
Conmmon Sense Check --> If you exhibit any mental health distress in your life...stay away from the thumpers!
If you do not wish to educate yourself to strain vs. effect. vs. you and will rely on whatever the next greedy grower throws in the machine....I guess that could be a crap shoot.
Hawthorne Effect.....<----
You can predict the exact opposite and show significance or correlation....that way with anecdotal studies.
Random Assignment. N 2000 excludes pre-existing smokers and reported prior psychosis.......what did they base significance on?
the 3 people who developed psychosis after a couple years of smoking pot....WRONG
Its the same confound as GATEWAY DRUG studies!!!!!!
Most schizo's and psychotic folks have co-occuring disorders that CAN NOT be teased out so easily as this study suggests....
Cant believe this damn study keeps getting re-iterated.....
Conmmon Sense Check --> If you exhibit any mental health distress in your life...stay away from the thumpers!
If you do not wish to educate yourself to strain vs. effect. vs. you and will rely on whatever the next greedy grower throws in the machine....I guess that could be a crap shoot.
Smoking Gun
Active member
Yeah, I can only imagine this "research" is a load of shit. Even if the researches screened the subjects for mental disorders and marijuana use, did they take into account other medications and eating habits of their subjects? I would not be surprised if the subjects were on other medications or had even taken different drugs during the 10 year "study". I have never met anybody who developed mental disorders simply from smoking pot. And what standards did these "researchers" use to determine whether psychosis had set in? If the user hallucinated, are they crazy? If that was a criteria than anyone who has taken LSD or psilocibin is crazy. I have a friend who once in a while would hallucinate when smoking, but he had usually smoked in excess and drinking was usually involved too. Is he crazy not at all. And if the study started when the subjects were 14 who is to say that half of them wouldn't have developed psychoses without cannabis. Puberty is often the time when many of these issues come out in people regardless of drug use. Without seeing the actual research paper I still feel too many variables were never taken into account and the lead "researcher" simply used the info that supported their hypothesis to write up the paper.
I can smell the BS from here.
I can smell the BS from here.
thingshappening
Member
I like how, just like the prohibitionists, many stoners quote scientific literature when it's in their favor, but dismiss it as propaganda when the findings are not in their favor.
It's embarrassing and disappointing reading this thread, to be honest.
Yeah, it could be that this 2 thousand strong study is all a part of an international effort to hurt the cause, as well as the ten other large studies that have the same findings...all part of a world conspiracy within the biology labs of all major universities and corporations (maaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnn).
Or it could be that weed increases risk of psychosis.
Either way.
It's embarrassing and disappointing reading this thread, to be honest.
Yeah, it could be that this 2 thousand strong study is all a part of an international effort to hurt the cause, as well as the ten other large studies that have the same findings...all part of a world conspiracy within the biology labs of all major universities and corporations (maaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnn).
Or it could be that weed increases risk of psychosis.
Either way.
Yup, just like stepping onto the road increases your chance of being hit by a bus...
Doesn't mean by far that it happens to everyone/all the time. Let me tell you something - the prohibition and associated risks can and do drive ppl crazy much more than the weed's effects itself ever could. Especially where things like paranoia and anxiety come in...
Edit: It's not a delusion, ppl ARE out to get you...
Being legal removes all this - ask one who knows!!...
Peace
Doesn't mean by far that it happens to everyone/all the time. Let me tell you something - the prohibition and associated risks can and do drive ppl crazy much more than the weed's effects itself ever could. Especially where things like paranoia and anxiety come in...
Edit: It's not a delusion, ppl ARE out to get you...
Being legal removes all this - ask one who knows!!...
Peace
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bbing
Active member
it does.....for psychotics....
i have developed a strain maybe you try..
it melts condescending attitudes lickety split
sorry for embarassing you
SirTOKESalot
Member
Pot And Psychosis: Possible Link? British Studies Show .....
Pot And Psychosis: Possible Link? British Studies Show .....
So I love CBC radio in canada usualy has good stuff.... And this comes on. Mind you they only spoke of the extream end of things and did not add the side notes that you will read here... WOW thats all i gota say.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/26/health/webmd/main3102653.shtml
(WebMD) Smoking cannabis, or marijuana, as a youth could boost the risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life by about 40 percent, according to a new analysis of published studies conducted by British researchers.
The more than 40 percent increase in risk applies to those who have ever used the drug, and the risk rises even more with frequent use, according to Stanley Zammit, M.D., Ph.D., clinical lecturer in psychiatric epidemiology at Cardiff University and the University of Bristol in the U.K., a study co-author.
"People who have ever used cannabis, on average, have about a 40% increased risk of developing psychotic illness later in life compared with people who have never used cannabis," he tells WebMD.
"People who used it on a weekly or daily basis had about a 100% increased risk, or twofold." Even so, he adds, "the risk is still relatively low." "they left this part out on the radio."
But as Zammit and his colleagues note in the new report, scheduled to appear in the July 28 issue of The Lancet, there is enough evidence of a marijuana-psychosis link that they believe policymakers need to provide the public with information.
The report drew protests and skepticism from representatives of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, who questioned the validity of the findings.
Zammit and his colleagues pooled the results of 35 published studies on marijuana use and mental health effects, including psychotic effects such as schizophrenia (in which people may hear voices or hallucinate) or affective problems such as depression and anxiety. They analyzed the results of all the studies, a method known as a meta-analysis.
*SIDE NOTE
" I would like to see a study of teens who consumed alcohol all day for 10 years, and see how they are doing... fucking bull shit
The increased risk of psychosis with marijuana use persists, Zammit's team found, independently of the transient intoxication effects of the drug and independently of what they call "confounding factors," such as existing mental health problems or other drug use. "We can't be sure it is causal," he says of the association. "[But] studies find an association rather consistently."
Still, he tells WebMD, "It's always possible people who use cannabis may be different [in some way] than those who don't."
The researchers also looked at the association between marijuana use and depression and anxiety but found that the evidence is "less strong than for psychosis but is still of concern."
In the U.S., marijuana is the most widely used of various illicit drugs, according to the University of Michigan Monitoring the Future Survey. About 6.8% of middle school and high school students used marijuana in 2005, down from 7.6% the previous year, according to the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a federal report.
In the U.K., Zammit estimates, about 15 percent of youths aged 16 to 24 say they use cannabis on a monthly basis.
In an accompanying comment, two scientists from Copenhagen University Hospital echo Zammit's belief that "there is a need to warn the public of these dangers, as well as to establish treatment to help young, frequent cannabis users."
In an editorial in the same issue, Lancet editors note that the publication ran an oft-quoted editorial in a 1995 issue stating that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health." Now, the editors note, research published in the interim, including the meta-analysis, has triggered a change in their thinking, with them now stating that cannabis use "could increase the risk of psychotic illness" and that more research is needed on any link with depression and anxiety.
If the association exists between marijuana use and psychotic illness, "we would have seen the negative effects they were warning about if they were significant," says Paul Armentano, a senior policy analyst for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), based in Washington.
Most Western cultures, he tells WebMD, have witnessed "an explosion among marijuana use among adults and young people.
"Where is the explosion in cannabis-related mental illness?" he asks. "The paper says, 'You are right, we haven't seen it. Maybe it is a delayed reaction.'"
Armentano argues the rise in mental illness would have already occurred if the link exists.
Armentano also wonders if the psychosis may have come first, before the marijuana use, for some people. In the paper, the authors note that such reverse causation is not likely for psychosis but that the studies of marijuana and depression did not adequately address the possibility of reverse causation.
Politics in the U.K. may be driving the effort to analyze an association between marijuana and mental illness, Armentano tells WebMD. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been quoted in the British press as saying he has never used cannabis, even as cabinet ministers tell about their cannabis-filled younger days. In 2004, the U.K. downgraded cannabis to a class C drug, reducing penalties for possession, production, and supply.
Now, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in the U.K. will look at evidence for harms caused by cannabis and discuss whether the drug should be relabeled, perhaps as a class B drug of misuse, with stiffer penalties for possession.
"The article is worth paying attention to," Bruce Spring, M.D., an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, an expert familiar with the study but not involved in it.
"It certainly gives cause for concern," Spring says of the findings about marijuana and psychosis risks. Still, he says, the overall risk is relatively low, statistically speaking.
"In general, the overall risk of someone getting a psychotic illness is about 3 percent," he says. "Now what this study is saying is that that 3% risk is increased by 40 percent [or more]," he says. So the risk with marijuana use would rise to 4.2 percent.
Put another way: In a group of 100 people, three would be expected, statistically speaking, to develop a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder with psychosis. "When you factor in the marijuana study, one or two more, depending on how often they use it, will have psychotic illness," Spring says.
Says Spring, "I would tell people there is now some pretty good evidence that smoking marijuana can have some harmful consequences, and they are putting their future well-being at risk [if they smoke marijuana]. The more you smoke, the greater the risk, according to this study."
Zammit, the study co-author, adds, "I think the important message is to be aware of these risks." Those who have other risk factors for psychotic illness, such as a family history, might want to pay closer attention, he tells WebMD.
By Kathleen Doheny
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pot And Psychosis: Possible Link? British Studies Show .....
So I love CBC radio in canada usualy has good stuff.... And this comes on. Mind you they only spoke of the extream end of things and did not add the side notes that you will read here... WOW thats all i gota say.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/26/health/webmd/main3102653.shtml
(WebMD) Smoking cannabis, or marijuana, as a youth could boost the risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life by about 40 percent, according to a new analysis of published studies conducted by British researchers.
The more than 40 percent increase in risk applies to those who have ever used the drug, and the risk rises even more with frequent use, according to Stanley Zammit, M.D., Ph.D., clinical lecturer in psychiatric epidemiology at Cardiff University and the University of Bristol in the U.K., a study co-author.
"People who have ever used cannabis, on average, have about a 40% increased risk of developing psychotic illness later in life compared with people who have never used cannabis," he tells WebMD.
"People who used it on a weekly or daily basis had about a 100% increased risk, or twofold." Even so, he adds, "the risk is still relatively low." "they left this part out on the radio."
But as Zammit and his colleagues note in the new report, scheduled to appear in the July 28 issue of The Lancet, there is enough evidence of a marijuana-psychosis link that they believe policymakers need to provide the public with information.
The report drew protests and skepticism from representatives of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, who questioned the validity of the findings.
Zammit and his colleagues pooled the results of 35 published studies on marijuana use and mental health effects, including psychotic effects such as schizophrenia (in which people may hear voices or hallucinate) or affective problems such as depression and anxiety. They analyzed the results of all the studies, a method known as a meta-analysis.
*SIDE NOTE
" I would like to see a study of teens who consumed alcohol all day for 10 years, and see how they are doing... fucking bull shit
The increased risk of psychosis with marijuana use persists, Zammit's team found, independently of the transient intoxication effects of the drug and independently of what they call "confounding factors," such as existing mental health problems or other drug use. "We can't be sure it is causal," he says of the association. "[But] studies find an association rather consistently."
Still, he tells WebMD, "It's always possible people who use cannabis may be different [in some way] than those who don't."
The researchers also looked at the association between marijuana use and depression and anxiety but found that the evidence is "less strong than for psychosis but is still of concern."
In the U.S., marijuana is the most widely used of various illicit drugs, according to the University of Michigan Monitoring the Future Survey. About 6.8% of middle school and high school students used marijuana in 2005, down from 7.6% the previous year, according to the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a federal report.
In the U.K., Zammit estimates, about 15 percent of youths aged 16 to 24 say they use cannabis on a monthly basis.
In an accompanying comment, two scientists from Copenhagen University Hospital echo Zammit's belief that "there is a need to warn the public of these dangers, as well as to establish treatment to help young, frequent cannabis users."
In an editorial in the same issue, Lancet editors note that the publication ran an oft-quoted editorial in a 1995 issue stating that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health." Now, the editors note, research published in the interim, including the meta-analysis, has triggered a change in their thinking, with them now stating that cannabis use "could increase the risk of psychotic illness" and that more research is needed on any link with depression and anxiety.
If the association exists between marijuana use and psychotic illness, "we would have seen the negative effects they were warning about if they were significant," says Paul Armentano, a senior policy analyst for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), based in Washington.
Most Western cultures, he tells WebMD, have witnessed "an explosion among marijuana use among adults and young people.
"Where is the explosion in cannabis-related mental illness?" he asks. "The paper says, 'You are right, we haven't seen it. Maybe it is a delayed reaction.'"
Armentano argues the rise in mental illness would have already occurred if the link exists.
Armentano also wonders if the psychosis may have come first, before the marijuana use, for some people. In the paper, the authors note that such reverse causation is not likely for psychosis but that the studies of marijuana and depression did not adequately address the possibility of reverse causation.
Politics in the U.K. may be driving the effort to analyze an association between marijuana and mental illness, Armentano tells WebMD. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been quoted in the British press as saying he has never used cannabis, even as cabinet ministers tell about their cannabis-filled younger days. In 2004, the U.K. downgraded cannabis to a class C drug, reducing penalties for possession, production, and supply.
Now, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in the U.K. will look at evidence for harms caused by cannabis and discuss whether the drug should be relabeled, perhaps as a class B drug of misuse, with stiffer penalties for possession.
"The article is worth paying attention to," Bruce Spring, M.D., an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, an expert familiar with the study but not involved in it.
"It certainly gives cause for concern," Spring says of the findings about marijuana and psychosis risks. Still, he says, the overall risk is relatively low, statistically speaking.
"In general, the overall risk of someone getting a psychotic illness is about 3 percent," he says. "Now what this study is saying is that that 3% risk is increased by 40 percent [or more]," he says. So the risk with marijuana use would rise to 4.2 percent.
Put another way: In a group of 100 people, three would be expected, statistically speaking, to develop a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder with psychosis. "When you factor in the marijuana study, one or two more, depending on how often they use it, will have psychotic illness," Spring says.
Says Spring, "I would tell people there is now some pretty good evidence that smoking marijuana can have some harmful consequences, and they are putting their future well-being at risk [if they smoke marijuana]. The more you smoke, the greater the risk, according to this study."
Zammit, the study co-author, adds, "I think the important message is to be aware of these risks." Those who have other risk factors for psychotic illness, such as a family history, might want to pay closer attention, he tells WebMD.
By Kathleen Doheny
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.
