From USA TODAY:
Smoking marijuana as a teenager or young adult raises your risk of having psychotic symptoms later in life, a new Dutch study shows.
“This cements much more firmly the reality that marijuana use in adolescence is a risk factor, along with the other genetic, environmental and socioeconomic risk factors, for developing psychosis,” said Dr. Kathryn Kotrla, associate dean and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Round Rock.
The findings, reported in the March 1 issue of the BMJ, come just weeks after Australian researchers reported on a connection between smoking marijuana and an onset of psychosis 2.7 years earlier than those who hadn’t used the drug…
Click here to read the full article.
EDITOR: Clearly young persons should not smoke cigarettes, drink alcoholic beverages (especially avoiding binge drinking), or use marijuana. But if they do, it may well be that marijuana is the least dangerous. Peer reviewed and governmental studies indicate that adult limited imbibement may be desirable for alcohol and marijuana.
Is it possible psychotic individuals have long found balance through smoking marijuana. Yes, I have witnessed first hand. They do well on refer no doubt.
Is the story then that older psychotic individuals who no longer have acces to marijuana because its illegal are having psychotic symptoms?
I could surmise many of the study group likely were, have been for years and are on a variety of “prescribed”, manufactured drugs.
Give them back their bong and tell me what happens. That would be worth reviewing. IMO.
Very funny. So….everyone is psychotic but the symptoms show up earlier for someone who smoked/smokes pot? Or how about….possible limitations include self-reported data and the lack of direct adjustment for a family history of psychosis. And it goes on….. I hope no money changed hands for this amusing but useless study.