cannabisnews.com: Cannabis Raises Risk of Psychosis 





Cannabis Raises Risk of Psychosis 
Posted by CN Staff on December 01, 2004 at 09:11:43 PT
The health effects of cannabis are controversial
Source: BBC News 
Frequent cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood raises the risk of psychotic symptoms later in life, research suggests. The risk was much higher in young people who were already genetically vulnerable to developing psychosis. It is thought cannabis disrupts the balance of the key mood chemical dopamine in the brain. The research, by Maastricht University, is published by the British Medical Journal.
It focused on 2,437 young people aged 14 to 24 who were monitored for four years. After adjusting for factors such as social and economic status and use of other drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, the researchers found cannabis use moderately increased the risk of psychotic symptoms. However, the effect was much stronger in those with a predisposition for psychosis. And the researchers said their findings did not support the theory that the link was simply down to people with such a predisposition being more likely to use cannabis, rather than cannabis in some way making psychosis more likely. There was little evidence that people who were genetically vulnerable to psychosis were any more likely to indulge in drug taking, they found. Warning on UseLead researcher Professor Jim van Os told the BBC News website that using cannabis was not a good idea for these people. He said: "If there is a family or personal history of mental frailty - stay away form it!" Martin Barnes, chief executive of the charity DrugScope, said: "The research underlines that there are potentially serious health risks associated with cannabis use, particularly for young people. "The challenge is to ensure that messages on cannabis use are understood by teachers and health professionals working with young people and conveyed in ways that young people will listen to. "Shock tactics alone rarely work, but we need to get across that just because you know people who appear to be OK using cannabis, it doesn't mean that are or that it will be OK for you. "After reclassification, which DrugScope supports, cannabis remains an illegal drug. Most young people know that cannabis is illegal and harmful, but some may not appreciate what the harms can be." Dinah Morley, of the charity Young Minds, said the study added to previous work suggesting an association between cannabis and psychosis. "It gives support to the emerging understanding that a predisposition to psychosis combined with the early abuse of cannabis has an increased likelihood of triggering a psychotic illness. "Further exploration of why this should happen - in terms of neurological development - will be needed. "Nevertheless it is time to ensure that this information is in the public domain and, most importantly, available to teachers who are health educators in schools." Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive of the mental health charity Sane, said: "Britain's position as the cannabis capital of Europe could have hidden and disturbing consequences. "We need to make the risks known, clamp down on drug dealing in such places as playgrounds and hospital wards, and change perceptions of cannabis from being a recreational relaxant to a dangerous substance for those who are vulnerable." Newshawk: PotpalSource: BBC News (UK Web) Published: Wednesday, December 1, 2004Copyright: 2004 BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Contact: newsonline bbc.co.ukRelated Articles & Web Site:Chronic Cannabis Use in PDF Formathttp://www.freedomtoexhale.com/ccu.pdfCannabis Link To Psychosis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16751.shtmlMinimal Long-Term Effects Of Marijuana Found http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16737.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 15:35:50 PT
Related Article from ECT
Cannabis Link to Psychosis Depends on Age of First Use
 By Jeremy Laurance, The Independent December 02, 2004Robin Murray, a professor of psychiatry, said the popularity of cannabis combined with its increasing strength and the earlier age at which people started smoking were a cause for concern. "We know lack of exercise and obesity are precursors for heart attacks. Now we are learning the precursors of psychosis," he said.Half of regular smokers of cannabis who are psychologically vulnerable to its effects may end up needing treatment for psychosis, scientists said yesterday.Up to 10 percent of the adult population, almost four million people, has a tendency to paranoid thoughts or grandiose ideas and may be tipped into psychotic delusions by the effects of the drug, they said.A study of 2,437 young people aged 14 to 24 found that of those who smoked cannabis regularly and had a pre-existing risk of psychosis, 50 percent developed psychotic symptoms over the four-year period. This was twice the rate among those who did not use cannabis and more than three times higher than among those who were neither vulnerable nor took the drug. Cause for Concern 
The findings add to evidence of the dangers of cannabis. Five previous studies have shown a link between cannabis and psychosis but this is the first to quantify the risk in psychologically vulnerable individuals.International experts meeting in London today will discuss the evidence at a conference on cannabis and health organised by the Institute of Psychiatry.Robin Murray, a professor of psychiatry at the Institute, said the popularity of cannabis combined with its increasing strength and the earlier age at which people started smoking were a cause for concern. Comparing the rising toll of mental illness caused by cannabis to the epidemic of heart disease, he said: "We know lack of exercise and obesity are precursors for heart attacks. Now we are learning the precursors of psychosis."Cannabis is the third most popular recreational drug after alcohol and tobacco and Professor Murray said there was a question why more people were not psychotic. "It may be to do with how early you start. The earlier it is the greater the risk," he said. More Young Users 
Research in Australia shows that the average age at which young people start smoking cannabis has come down since the 1970s from the early twenties to the mid-teens. In the Netherlands it is between 13 and 14 and in the UK it is estimated to be 15 to 16, but there are no official figures.Last week figures showed that two in five 15- year-olds in the UK had tried cannabis -- more than anywhere else in Europe. Zerrin Atakan of the National Psychosis Unit at the Maudsley hospital in south London said that the earlier people started using cannabis the more likely they were to become dependent on it. "If you smoke cannabis before the age of 17, imaging studies show structural changes in the brain."Studies of pregnant women who smoked cannabis showed changes in the brains of their children in later life, she said.For the study, in the online version of the British Medical Journal, Jim van Os of Maastricht University and colleagues followed 2,437 young people from Germany for four years.Marjorie Wallace, the chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said: "Britain's position as the cannabis capital of Europe could have hidden and disturbing consequences." Health Benefits/Health Risks:
 Cannabis has been called the "aspirin" of the 21st century with evidence that its compounds may protect the brain against the effects of aging. The world's largest study of the medical effects of cannabis reported in November last year that it could reduce pain and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis. Like alcohol, in moderation the drug promotes relaxation and enjoyment which are beneficial for human health. 
Regular cannabis smoking is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia and depression. Up to 80 percent of new cases of psychosis seen in psychiatric hospitals are triggered by cannabis abuse. 
Smoking three joints a day causes the same damage to the lungs as 20 cigarettes. The drug distorts perception, affects short-term memory and may cause hallucinations. Habitual users suffer from de-motivation. 
 Copyright: 2004 ECT NewsNetwork Inc.http://www.technewsworld.com/story/news/38621.html
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 02, 2004 at 13:15:52 PT
Related Article from Reuters
Marijuana May Increase Risk of Psychosis Drug makes some users more vulnerable to mental problems.December 01, 2004Teenagers and young adults who frequently use cannabis are increasing their risk of suffering from psychotic symptoms such as bizarre behavior and delusions later in life, Dutch scientists said on Wednesday. 
Young people with a family history, or pre-existing susceptibility to mental instability, are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of the drug.“Cannabis does not act in the same fashion on psychosis risk for everybody. There is a group that is particularly susceptible,” Professor Jim van Os, of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, told a news conference.He and his colleagues studied 2,437 young people aged 14-24 and identified those with a predisposition for psychosis. They also questioned them about their cannabis use and followed them up for four years.“The results show that in the group without vulnerability to psychosis, there was a small effect of cannabis on the onset of psychotic symptoms four years later,” Van Os said.“But this risk was four times bigger in individuals who had a personal vulnerability to psychosis.”Van Os said the study also showed the odds of experiencing symptoms of psychosis were higher for people who smoked cannabis more frequently.The findings, which are reported online by the British Medical Journal, are consistent with the results of other studies.Doctors do not understand how cannabis increases the risk of mental illness but they suspect it affects the dopamine system in the brain which is associated with pleasure.Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited
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