Jan 24, 2006 - News-Medical.Net
Cannabis use does not cause schizophrenia

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=15577

According to a new report by a British government advisory body, the regular use of cannabis though it can have real and significant mental health effects it is unlikely to cause schizophrenia.

Government drugs advisers in the UK say cannabis can impair psychological and physical performance, cause acute intoxication reactions and prompt relapses in individuals vulnerable to mental illnesses.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs says that based on current evidence smoking cannabis was likely to increase the chances of developing schizophrenia by just one per cent.

Cannabis is currently a Class B drug in the UK and the council, had been asked to reconsider the Government's decision to downgrade cannabis from a Class B to a Class C substance.

The council in 2003 had recommended that cannabis should be downgraded, and was asked by ministers to look again at medical evidence suggesting that more powerfully psychoactive varieties of the drug were posing an increased danger to mental health.

The committee now believes the drug should be downgraded as evidence suggests, at worst, that using cannabis does not significantly increase the lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia.

They say that while cannabis can, unquestionably, be harmful it is not of the same order as those of substances within Class B."

The council says that since 2003 further evidence has emerged about the possible link between the use of cannabis and the subsequent development of psychotic symptoms.

However, the council emphasised that cannabis use was harmful, it can cause bronchitis and cancer and should be discouraged.

The council wants to see "a sustained education and information strategy" and more research into the links with mental health problems.

British home Secretary Charles Clarke, has confirmed that he proposes to keep cannabis as a Class C drug, which means police generally take a more lenient line with personal possession and penalties are lower.

Mr Clarke says that though he was not about to reclassify cannabis, the message had to go out that it is nevertheless harmful and it can lead to a wide range of physical and psychological hazards.

He has ordered a review of the classifications system which dates to 1971 and many consider confusing and misleading, and is also examining the classification of the so-called "date-rape" drugs Rohypnol and GHB, which are currently Class C substances.

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July 26, 2007 ScientificAmerican.com
Smoking marijuana ups risk of schizophrenia: study

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=smoking-marijuana-ups-ris&chanId=sa003&modsrc=reuters


LONDON (Reuters) - Using marijuana increases the risk of one day developing a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia, according to a study that provides some of the strongest evidence yet linking the drug to a mental disorder.

Marijuana is one the most commonly used illegal substances in many countries with up to 20 percent of young people in places like Britain reporting either some use or heavy use, British researchers said, citing government statistics.

Many consider it on par with alcohol or tobacco but the results shows marijuana poses a danger many smokers underestimate, said Stanley Zammit, a psychiatrist at Cardiff University and the University of Bristol, who worked on the study.

The researchers found that marijuana users had a 41 percent increased chance of developing psychosis marked by symptoms of hallucinations or delusions later in life than those who never used the drug. The risk rose with heavier consumption.
"If you compare other substances like alcohol or tobacco it may not be as harmful, but what we are saying is neither is it completely safe," Zammit said in a telephone interview.

Other findings have highlighted the link between marijuana use and the risk of schizophrenia-like symptoms such as paranoia, hearing voices and seeing things that are not there.

But this study marks one of the most comprehensive, thorough and reliable reviews of its kind and should serve as a warning, two Danish researchers wrote in an accompanying comment in the Lancet medical journal, which published the study on Friday.

EVIDENCE

They said the results mean an estimated 800 cases of schizophrenia in the United Kingdom could be prevented each year by ending marijuana consumption.

"We therefore agree with the authors' conclusion that there is now sufficient evidence to warn young people that cannabis use will increase their risk of psychosis later in life," they wrote.

The team did not look directly at people who used marijuana but instead conducted what is called a meta-analysis by reviewing 35 studies in search of a potential connection between psychotic illness and using marijuana.

They reviewed evidence from studies ranging from one year to 27 years and only looked at research that did not include people already showing signs of psychotic illness.

The researchers also adjusted for factors -- like depression or a susceptibility to harder drugs -- that could one day lead to a mental disorder to focus more directly on the links between marijuana and psychosis, Zammit said.

"We have described a consistent association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms, including disabling psychotic disorders," the team wrote.

But both Zammit and the Danish researchers said ultimate proof to show a direct relationship would be have to come through a randomized trial of healthy young people and long-term follow-up.

Such a study, however, is unlikely given marijuana is illegal in most countries and the ethical questions given the drug's known harmful effects, they said.

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Any thoughts?

there are many great uses for marijuana. more then the government's would like to admit

I am not a pot smoker but have friends with medical conditions that find relief using it...but I wonder at what cost...

all affects of marijuana usage are irreversable over time, its been scienticly proven.

so i cant blame my skizo behavior on weed anymore? damn.

This is interesting.......but yesterday in the local newspaper I was reading that their finding that is causes psychosis, depression, bi polar etc etc......

Everything has a cost.

But for certain conditions,
it can reduce nausea, lessen
pressure (if you have glaucoma)
or manage pain.

The benefits should outweigh
the risks.

I think it should be legal
for certain medical conditions,
but strongly regulated.

That explains my ex ...

In 2006 it did not cause schizophrenia but in 2007 it does... definite link to mental disorders though...hmmm

it may cause conditions but like i said after stopping usage the affects on the brain go away. all thc does is coat the brain and make your brain cells inactive. but once you stop they come back.

i smoke for my depression.. and actually there are times where i thought i was skitzo haha..

it really helps with mental illness.

Puff
Puff
Pass
Pal

I know for me that its the only thing besides heavy drugs like morphine that helps my back. would much rather be a pothead than a junkie... lol

I am a dedicated pot smokers,have been for many years,and will be one till death.I'm not schizzo......

i dont believe in god. and i dont believe in governemts trying to regulate something that grows naturally.

but if there is a god like you people believe, he put it here for a reason.

After some of the side effects of other legal drugs that are shown on television it can make one wonder in just has bad just simple pot is. Toke

hills holden. pass or puff. lol

love the kushy kush!!!!

blue berry yum yum i never woulda thought that it could taste this gooooood

Of course they burned all the fields of pot around here which definately made a difference in the economy for the grower. But since so many drug companies have the go ahead by the FDA One can see why people could have a double standard about how legal is good but illegal is bad. Toke

Ok, I will pass. I just had a small toke the first time.