|
| Study: Pot Usage May Have Psychotic Effects |
|
Posted by CN Staff on May 03, 2007 at 21:47:59 PT By Michael Ramsingh, For The Collegian Source: Daily Collegian 
Pennsylvania -- A recent study found that marijuana has the potential effects of causing psychotic experiences, hallucinations, intense paranoia and other abnormal brain functions, according to the Associated Press.Stephen Shetler, psychologist and addiction specialist for the Counseling and Psychological Services at Penn State, wrote in an e-mail that the potential psychosis effects experienced by marijuana users is a plausible result of using the drug, especially for those who have already suffered from mental instability. "Almost all users report some changes in their perceptions and thoughts while high. If someone is already prone to thought disorders such as psychosis, marijuana would probably make symptoms worse," Shetler said. The study of the effects of marijuana on the mind comes in lieu of another study recently issued by the Office of National Drug Policy and National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), which found the levels of tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) in marijuana have significantly increased. Rafael Lemaitre, NIDA press secretary, said the levels of THC in recently confiscated marijuana samples have tested for about 8 percent THC compared to older samples from the 1970s that test for about 4 percent THC. Some samples have even been tested for as much as 30 percent THC, he said. "[Marijuana] is almost an entirely new drug from [the] 1970s," Lemaitre said. Shelter said the higher levels of THC in marijuana provide a reasonable explanation for the findings of psychotic effects in users. "It seems logical that if there is more THC in today's marijuana that more people could experience 'psychotic symptoms,' " he said. The study tested 15 healthy people who were given small doses of the two active ingredients in marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD) and THC. Though CBD made the test patients very relaxed, the small doses of THC made the patients temporarily suffer from psychotic hallucinations and paranoid delusions, according to the AP. Diana Ramos, coordinator of the Marijuana Intervention Program for University Health Services at Penn State, wrote in an e-mail that students who use marijuana with the addition of alcohol and other drugs allow for a significant increase for the possibility of psychotic effects. "If you're mixing alcohol with marijuana, or other forms of drugs, the effects are more severe and can lead to a mental meltdown," she said. Though Shetler wrote that he has not seen a patient suffer from psychotic effects from marijuana, he added that he has heard of many clients and students who have. "I've heard reports from clients/students who have had bad experiences with marijuana along these lines in the past," he wrote. Pot Use Doesn’t Exacerbate Symptoms Of Schizophrenia, Study Says: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7253 Source: Daily Collegian (PA Edu) Related Articles: Cannabis Chemical Curbs Psychotic Symptoms Scans Show How Cannabis Affects Brain Study: Marijuana Damages Brain Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
| Comment #16 posted by afterburner on May 05, 2007 at 22:01:56 PT |
| Cannabis Chemical Curbs Psychotic Symptoms
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22934.shtml I had to go to work and didn't have time to proofread the previous comment. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #15 posted by afterburner on May 05, 2007 at 13:59:49 PT |
| "probably" "entirely new drug" Hashish, Marinol 'psychotic symptoms,' Changes of thoughts are not psychosis. Could be creativity, learning. "temporarily suffer from psychotic hallucinations and paranoid delusions" Paranoia is caused by prohibition and prison. Thank you, FoM, for following this monstrosity with the truth: Study: Marijuana Damages Brain http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22931.shtml et. al. [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #14 posted by user123 on May 05, 2007 at 10:15:32 PT:
|
| The study tested 15 healthy people who were given small doses of the two active ingredients in marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD) and THC. Though CBD made the test patients very relaxed, the small doses of THC made the patients temporarily suffer from psychotic hallucinations and paranoid delusions, according to the AP. What does this mean? 15 people who've never been stoned before? 15 nut jobs? I can only imagine someone high for the very first time having anything close to a hallucination. Try this stupid experiment on regular users & you'd get squat. If any of this were true, the streets of any city or town should be full of paranoid delusionals suffering from hallucinations on any given night, & yet I see no news reports of anything like that. Instead the news is filled with crap caused by alcohol. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #13 posted by whig on May 04, 2007 at 15:09:30 PT |
| Welcome to CNews! [ Post Comment ] |
|
Comment #12 posted by Yanxor on May 04, 2007 at 12:46:36 PT:
|
| That's so like the daily collegian - its a poor-quality newspaper run by students - that aside, I responded with a letter to the editor, will see if they post it. By the way, I'm somewhat new here - and I love what this site is all about - just taking any news related to a subject and publishing it - you wouldn't get this quality news service on this topic from CNN. So...thanks. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by dongenero on May 04, 2007 at 09:13:12 PT |
| This is just regurgitated nonsense. Ridiculous excuses for logic and just outright propaganda.....I don't even know why I am responding to this. Some anger I suppose. Don't start off on you journalism career just yet kid. But there may be a job waiting for you as a ventriloquist dummy for the ONDCP. Think it over, use your head. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by whig on May 04, 2007 at 08:41:17 PT |
| Marinol is at least three times stronger than the strongest cannabis, measured by concentration of THC. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by whig on May 04, 2007 at 08:37:50 PT |
| Please don't outlaw vaginas. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by BGreen on May 04, 2007 at 08:23:59 PT |
| This "reporter" apparently read an AP story in his local newspaper, and shot off a couple of emails to people to pick and choose a couple of quotes to use so he wouldn't appear to just be rewriting the AP piece. Shoddy journalistic crap is expected when the original sources are crap. Somebody needs to fire this editor. The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by Had Enough on May 04, 2007 at 08:21:37 PT |
Where in the world are all these cancer society groups that take in mega bucks in the form of donations, and some probably receive our tax money from the Feds. You would think that if there were any possibility at all for something to cure or treat cancer they would be all over it. Don’t hear a peep from them.[ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on May 04, 2007 at 08:18:35 PT |
| I see 10 times as many talking blather-heads like the Marijuana lady at Penn state, and the state propagandist at NIDA. I see 5 times as many people in prison. I see near-identical levels of drugs usage in kids and adults since the early 70's. So what have we bought with our money? What is the government's answer to that question? More potent cannabis. Hell, that's the silver lining of this disastrous take-over by the political class. It's not a problem! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on May 04, 2007 at 08:15:53 PT |
| You know what's changed since the 60's and early 70's - the government! They're saying cannabis is more potent now? The government is TEN TIMES bigger than it was in the early 70's! TEN TIMES bigger than when Nixon was in office. Ten times as many bureaucrats, ten times as much tax revenue stolen from hard-working people. What's the result? The middle class destroyed and replaced by the political class. Are our highways ten times better? Trains and public transportation - are they 10 times better? What about the schools? How about public universities - they must be much better and much cheaper, since the government is taking 10 times as much tax money, right? The roads must be paved with gold by now, right? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by Had Enough on May 04, 2007 at 08:13:30 PT |
| "It seems logical that if there is more THC in today's marijuana that more people could experience 'psychotic symptoms,' " he said. ‘Though Shetler wrote that he has not seen a patient suffer from psychotic effects from marijuana, he added that he has heard of many clients and students who have. "I've heard reports from clients/students who have had bad experiences with marijuana along these lines in the past," he wrote.Using hearsay??? We have all heard things too. News media not talking about cannabis curing lung cancer. Now that’s both psychotic, and illogical. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on May 04, 2007 at 06:09:12 PT |
| Drug War Truce Preamble: No civilized nation makes war on its own citizens. We, the people, did not declare war on our government nor do we wish to fight its Drug War. Hence, we now petition for redress of grievances, as follows: Whereas any just government derives its authority from a respect of the People's rights and powers; and Whereas the government has resorted to unilateral military force in the Drug War without any good faith effort to negotiate a peace settlement; Therefore, we hereby call for a Drug War Truce during which to engage our communities and governments in peace negotiations, under the following terms: More at: http://deoxy.org/pdfa/drugtruce.htm [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on May 04, 2007 at 04:38:48 PT |
| Just another example where they want the general public to make the mental leap that marijuana causes mental illness. Attempted fraud. Personally, the reason I like marijuana IS for the psycoactive effect, it allows me to think outside the box for a few hours. I realize there are some sick puppies out there, but marijuana use did not cause these people to develop mental illness. They already had it. I understand that the birth canal squeezes the brain and can sometimes cause brain damage at birth. Are we going to outlaw vaginas? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by potpal on May 04, 2007 at 04:19:37 PT |
| Just a re-hash of the AP prohib piece that tows the NIDA line. Its filled with all the scary words which they drag out every 3 months or so to maintain the war on cannabis users. Prohibiting cannabis affects brain too. [ Post Comment ] |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |