I have been a supporter of cannabis for a long time, and still smoke it still. My brother is having a lot of mental issues right now and he's been smoking marijuana since around 16, he's now 23 in a week or so. I'm just wondering if there is any link between marijuana and psychosis / scitzophrenia. I truly hope there isn't but I don't want uninformed responses saying "Weed is wonderful" without having any knowledge on the subject. Thanks. PS: He's also been trying to quit marijuana for a month now, and he can't. I'm starting to regret smoking cannabis, because I believe for a tiny percentage of people it can create negative problems, and it's not a risk I want. Any informed answers are much appreciated.
Yes, there is. When marijuana is used before the brain fully develops (age 20 or so) during adolescence the chemical imbalance gets changed in your brain because you are using a drug that alters the mind when it isn't fully developed. Psychosis and schizophrenia in certain cases are linked back to the usage of marijuana. My psychologist explained this to me, and if any sort of psychotic disorders run in your family the individual is more prominent to develop these. The reason why cannabis can cause this is because when your brain is still developing and you are intoxicating it with drugs and have a genetic predisposition to psychosis marijuana acts like gasoline on a fire. There was a study done on 16 year olds, those who smoke at age 16 were likely to have psychosis at age 19, and those kids who had psychotic symptoms at age 16 were likely to use marijuana at age 19. They often used marijuana to self medicate but it did the opposite and made their psychosis worse.
That's bullshit I have pschizzo affective disorder, panic disorderand PTSD I smoke cannabis all day long hash tincture drops etc.... It helps me deal with paranoia hallucinations panic attacks. I started using cannabis as a 12 year old. It helps with symptoms...maybe I'm 1 in a 1,000,000 but I think any study done by the government on cannabis will be bogus.
It's not a myth. I support cannabis and I am aware of things that can happen. The thc can either for some people help with symptoms or make them worse, good for you that it's making them better. But marijuana usage starting at a young increases the likely hood of getting some kind of psychosis.
This is technically false. You will see why if you read the studies in detail yourself. A few reputable sites, including NORML.org have debunked them. There is a fine line that has been drawn, and misrepresenting the facts misleads people. This is what the scientific studies summarize into: In those with excising conditions of psychosis or schizophrenia, it may be aggravated by THC. HOWEVER Cannabis use has NOT been proved to increase the risk of either condition. See the difference? So, your psychologist misrepresented the actual facts. Another majorly misrepresented issue were the unsubstantiated claims that teen use caused abnormal brain changes. It did not; the differences were proved caused by environmental and sociological factors. You're welcome to post any concerning studies you find, and i and others here can help sort through it. Lots of false accusations for an herb which, in truth, HAS been demonstrated by the NIH as one of the best antioxidants and neuro protectants on the planet. Look up patent 6630507 sometime. If anything cannabinoids potentially mitigate the onset of neuro degenerative diseases; see the effectiveness against Alzheimers and dementia for good examples. OP: sorry to hear about the mental troubles. It most definitely is not caused by cannabis however countless other factors could be at play, up to and including the diet. Remember that THC can aggravate existing conditions of psychosis etc however it is 100% not responsible for causing it. Best of luck