# Long-term cannabis use can double risk of psychosis



## uberness (Mar 2, 2010)

Long-term cannabis use can double risk of psychosis
Kate Kelland
LONDON
Mon Mar 1, 2010 7:50am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Young people who smoke cannabis or marijuana for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions than people who have never used the drug, scientists said on Monday.


The findings adds weight to previous research which linked psychosis with the drug -- particularly in its most potent form as "skunk" -- and will feed the debate about the level of controls over its use.

Despite laws against it, up to 190 million people around the world use cannabis, according to United Nations estimates, equating to about 4 percent of the adult population.

John McGrath of the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia studied more than 3,801 men and women born between 1981 and 1984 and followed them up after 21 years to ask about their cannabis use and assessed them for psychotic episodes. Around 18 percent reported using cannabis for three or fewer years, 16 percent for four to five years and 14 percent for six or more years.

"Compared with those who had never used cannabis, young adults who had six or more years since first use of cannabis were twice as likely to develop a non-affective psychosis (such as schizophrenia)," McGrath wrote in a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal.

They were also four times as likely to have high scores in clinical tests of delusion, he wrote, and a so-called "dose-response" relationship showed that the longer the duration since first cannabis use, the higher the risk of psychosis-related symptoms.

A study by British scientists last year suggested that people who smoke skunk, a potent form of cannabis, are almost seven times more likely to develop psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia than those who smoke "hash" or cannabis resin.

Previous studies had also suggested smoking cannabis can double the risk of psychosis, but the British study was the first to look specifically at skunk. Skunk has higher amounts of the psychoactive ingredient THC which can produce psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.

McGrath said, however, that "the nature of the relationship between psychosis and cannabis use is by no means simple" and more research was needed to examine the mechanisms at work.

As part of his study, McGrath and his team looked at links between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms among a group of 228 sibling pairs and found the association still held. This suggests other influences like genes or the environment were less likely to be responsible for the psychosis, they said.

A international group of drug policy experts published a book earlier this year arguing that laws against cannabis have failed to cut its use but instead led to vast numbers of arrests for drug possession in countries like Britain, Switzerland and the United States, which cause social division and pointless government expense.

www(dot)reuters(dot)com/article/idUSTRE6201LW20100301


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## uberness (Mar 2, 2010)

> They were also four times as likely to have high scores in clinical tests of delusion, he wrote, and a so-called "dose-response" relationship showed that the longer the duration since first cannabis use, the higher the risk of psychosis-related symptoms.



Another note is that psychosis-related symptoms have been shown consistantly in a Harvard study that it is inevitable that you will have such an illness. Drugs that interfere with SRRIs TCA's and countless other psychedelics only speed up the process. This could be the reason for these results.

I have to say I disagree with this research and article. But, it's something to look into if you have a history of any type of mental illness.


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## greenfriend (Mar 2, 2010)

-- particularly in its most potent form as "skunk" 

A study by British scientists last year suggested that people who smoke skunk, a potent form of cannabis, are almost seven times more likely to develop psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia than those who smoke "hash" or cannabis resin.

haha, uhhh if "skunk" is the most potent form of weed, these folks havent smoked norcal bud, or norcal hash.  By their standards, full melt wax should make you instantly insane.

and i dunno if im by myself on this, but id be stoked if weed made me have hallucinations, that would be a trip!


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## BrendanV (Mar 2, 2010)

Dude, your post is very misleading. Its only double the risk if you're family has known (for lack of better words I can think of right now) 'mental' issues. 

My pops is bi-poler, so i'd be at double the risk to get a mental illness since its in my family. 

I love getting baked too much, so i'm willing to take that risk.


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## jmansweed (Mar 2, 2010)

Wish I was part of this long term study. I'd be crazy w/o the herb...........for sure


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## todoobie (Mar 2, 2010)

I believe the use of it has more pro's than con, because i am living proof.


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## uberness (Mar 3, 2010)

Yea, the reporter sucked, and so did the experiment, although I wish they would show the data instead of writing a journal entry for weak-minded idiots to read. But thats the media for you.


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