The Cannabis Psychosis Schizophrenia Connection

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The connection between cannabis, psychosis and schizophrenia has long been suspected and is being debated now more than ever, as many states move towards legalizing marijuana.

With these changes, it’s time for us to review the evidence of the links between marijuana use and what it can do to our mental health, particularly in young users with developing brains.

Cannabis can cause psychosis. Cannabis-induced psychosis is caused by THC. This talk will explain what what happens in psychosis. It will also list the evidence of cannabis-induced psychosis and explain the biochemistry of cannabis-induced psychosis.

Psychosis is a symptom. Psychosis can occur in many different conditions. Schizophrenia is one of the conditions that can have psychosis as a symptom.

Many studies show that schizophrenia is significantly more likely to develop among people who use marijuana repeatedly. Whether cannabis can cause schizophrenia (or whether, for example, people who will eventually develop schizophrenia are more likely to use cannabis) can't be proven in a clinical study (because that kind of clinical study would be unethical).

But a number of findings should raise concerns:
it's biochemically possible for cannabis do cause the biochemical changes seen in schizophrenia
it's possible to create schizophrenia-like neurophysiological and behavioral changes in animals given THC or cannabis extracts
higher cannabis use in human populations is associated with higher risks of schizophrenia
if someone develops psychosis from their use of cannabis, their odds of later developing schizophrenia jump to about 1 in 3.

This talk ends with some interesting questions from the audience, such as what information should be given about the risks of cannabis at the point of sale, and what is the link between cannabis use and suicide.

Make sure to share this video with your friends and family to spread awareness of the risks of maraijuana usage, so that everyone can make an informed decision about whether or not marijuana is right for them.