Study finds Marijuana may lead to Psychosis

[Bluntman428]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19980923/wid/11915773?gt1=10150


http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/sourceAP.gif
LONDON - Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous.
The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.
Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana’s long-term risks. The research, paid for by the British Health Department, is being published Friday in the medical journal The Lancet.



Interesting.

I wonder how long it'll be before this study's debunked the same way all the other tests that have shown negative reactions were.

I know a lot of stoners, and for the most part, they're pretty level headed. I knew one kid who ended up in a mental institution after smoking heavily for years, but he wasn't quite right in the head to begin with. Grew up without a dad, his mom was manic depressive, and he was born with a cleft pallet so his face was sorta jacked up.


Even if it does have the potential to trigger mental disorders in people with a family history of mental problems, I still don't see how it's anyone's right to tell you it's illegal to smoke a plant. Because when it comes down to it...it's just a plant.

[Minty]

Not going to stand and say its right, but theres some evidence for it. Lot of te guys tat I know that smoke have some major issues develop- is it related? Who knows.

Personally, dont like the stuff that much. Of all the drugs out there, tis is the one that will screw up most average people

[P1NSEEKER]

Alcohol is my only vice, i dont smoke or do drugs, not because i have any moral objections to them just because ive really never felt the urge! Im well aware how bad alcohol is for my health before anyone pipes up! :p

I think that any drugs that messes with your brain like weed, ecstasy etc over time will do some harm its common sense imo.

[Bluntman428]

Not going to stand and say its right, but theres some evidence for it. Lot of te guys tat I know that smoke have some major issues develop- is it related? Who knows.

Personally, dont like the stuff that much. Of all the drugs out there, tis is the one that will screw up most average people

True enough, but it's no different than any other controlled substance in that regard...if abused, it can lead to harsh consequences. I can't agree with the bit about it affecting average people more than any other drug though. I've personally seen people's lives ruined by crack, cocaine, heroine, painkillers, alcohol, and meth. It's not even in the same category as any of those substances.

I think it's only good under certain circumstances. I only smoke when I have a steady job, and never on the job. I used to work in construction, and after busting my ass in the heat all day, smoking a little reefer and playing some games was the only way to really relax at the end of the day. If used responsibly, i.e. in your home and not out in public or while driving, Marijuana can be a great recreational drug. I prefer it over drinking, as smoking pot never leads to drama. I can't even count how many times I've seen nights of drinking lead to fights, car accidents, or other drama.

Marijuana's also been proven to have several medical benefits. It's the best painkiller available, because it doesn't lead to dependence like Oxycontin or Hydrocodone and the like. Yes, it can be psychologically addictive, but there is no physical dependence unlike every other kind of drug aside from hallucinogens. There was also a recent study that showed that smoking marijuana can actually help prevent cancer.

I also read somewhere that Marijuana's been linked to a drop in the violent crime rate in several major U.S. cities since it's re-emergence in 2000. If I can find the link I'll post it up, but it makes sense. I've never seen anyone get violent after smoking some pot. I've seen it stop a few fights though.

[codedigital]

I smoked weed heavily when I was younger. I can easily say that it has effected me. My memory's not as good and a ton of other things. I don't do it anymore and just stick with alcohol.

[Rocket]

I don't think it could, but thats just my opinion...I like codedigital, did it a lot when I was younger, HS, those were the days right...anyway, memory loss yeah, paranoia yeah, but not crazy cookoo....It could happen, not saying that it can't, but I dont think it could...but anything can happen...

[Stinkyf1re]

Well this thread definitely caught my attention. I don't know what is, but i enjoy smoking. I've never really had a REASON to...i just do it. Its gotten me in loads of trouble but i still continue to. It boggles my mind sometimes. I sit and think...maybe i am crazy? But then again, like bluntman said, i have an 8-5 full time job and after a day at work its my only way to relax. I dont know a single person where i live and yes it can get lonely but when i smoke and play some shadowrun with exane, l3gi0n and the dreamteam it almost feels like im in a room full of people that i've known for quite a while. We laugh and pwn and honestly it saves me a lot of stress. Now does weed have an effect on this? Who knows, but what i do know is that there is a cycle involved for me when it comes to smoking. Smoking gets me in trouble, being in trouble makes me depressed, being depressed makes me smoke...and the cycle continues. While i am not very depressed at the time, loneliness can often take the place of being depressed, and the cycle still operates the same.

So weed leads to psychosis huh? Well i may just be in for a treat later in life. :(

P.S: this post was rather personal i would appreciate it if people responded with respect instead of flames. Argue with me if you wish but keep it on a mature level.

[ThrillKillBill]

I've been smoking off and on for most of my life. Started when i was 12 and i'm 30 now. My memory is alot better then 90% of the people I know. (both pot-head and straight-edgers) I have no mental problems other then insomnia and i've had that since i was 5 atleast. I personally think this study will be debunked as I seem to be living proof that it's false. All that being said i'm with Bluntman on this, I do not abuse it. I don't smoke at work, I don't waste money on weed when i'm jobless, and typically I never smoke before 5PM. Now if they changed the study to say abuse of pot may cause psychosis, I would have to agree with it but as it stands I simply don't think their findings are correct.

[graf1k]

Weed is not a drug, it's a fucking plant.

I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being that latest attempt of the prescription drug industry to make marijuana look evil and dangerous, so that they can sell you a bunch of synthetic drugs that do the same shit with a bunch of side effects and cost an arm and a leg. I don't even smoke that often (I believe it's been 1+ years since I have) but the way marijuana has been demonized in Western society is completely ludicrous.

[Bluntman428]

I thought a few bits about this article were suspicious.

Scientists cannot rule out that pre-existing conditions could have led to both marijuana use and later psychoses, he added.

My bet is that they found complete losers that smoke heavily for this study. I'm also willing to bet these "scientists" have some relation to pharmaceutical companies.

Two of the authors of the study were invited experts on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Cannabis Review in 2005. Several authors reported being paid to attend drug company-sponsored meetings related to marijuana, and one received consulting fees from companies that make antipsychotic medications.

Oh, I was right. Shocking. ;)

Even if Marijuana had the potential to cause schizophrenia and the like...that's nothing compared to the side effects of most prescription drugs. I saw a commercial for asthma medicine a couple months back, and at the bottom of the screen in extremely fine print was the side effect "May increase the risk of death". So...what was the BENEFIT of your medication again?

I almost completely lost my night vision as a side effect to a medication I took when I was a teenager for acne. Oh, and that medication also had the risk of causing psychosis, depression, heart failure, and permanent blindness. Remember that kid that flew a small plane into a building a year after 9/11? He was on the same medication.

Any way you look at it, I don't give a shit what some scientist or the government says I should or shouldn't put in my body. If I want to smoke a plant, I'm gonna smoke it. And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

On a sidenote...anyone else find it hilarious the article was given a 2 star rating on a poll of about 1000 readers? Guess Marijuana isn't as unpopular with the general populous as the government would have you believe.

EDIT: Oh, and here's the results from their poll asking if people believed the findings of the study:


Yes, I believe the latest scientific evidence. You can't mess around with the brain without serious consequences.
18%
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorboxImages%28globalonlyplease%29/dotRed.gifNo way. This is just Big Brother trying to give a harmless substance a bad rap.
45% http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorboxImages%28globalonlyplease%29/dotRed.gif
There's probably some truth to it, but I doubt the effects are quite so extreme.
34%
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorboxImages%28globalonlyplease%29/dotRed.gifI'm not sure.
3% http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorboxImages%28globalonlyplease%29/dotRed.gif

That's a total of ~80% of readers finding it to be faulty or complete BS.

[Adebisi 187]

I admit that i smoke at least once a day, and it hasn't affected me at all in the littlest bit. Im currently majoring in pre-med in my 3rd year of college (which means having to remember more things than you could believe) and its still yet to affect me at all. I actually wrote a paper on the legalization of mary jane in my persuasive argument class that i found a bunch of interesting facts about. I just think its ridiculous that studies have shown weed is one of the least dangerous drugs, yet it was deemed illegal in the early 1900's due to "It being the most dangerous drug in the world".

i have a few friends that are a part of the marijuana policy project, MPP and always argue with me about the good things. I agree though, its just a plant. Look at cigarettes and alcohol and just think to yourself why weed is illegal and they aren't. With 50% of hospital visits being due to alcohol related incidents and i believe it was somewhere around 30% of patients in hospital's (longer term) being due to cigarette smoke, where does weed fall in? at 0 percent.


And i can go without smoking easily if i want unlike people who drink all the time, but i have yet to have the need to. I have plenty of money from working to afford it, and it hasn't hindered my education one bit. (Plus it makes playing video games 100x better)

[Magooush]

I don't smoke, but still being in HS, I see and know a lot of people who do. So far none of them have gone crazy. Also my HS doesn't has the kind of people that use it properly. They abuse it. Alot.

One reason it is also staying illegal is because it is a "gateway drug"*.

*Link to wikipedia if anyone is interested in what a gateway drug is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_drug

[teh x3nomorph]

As a nurse, I will say this. Overuse of ANY drug has negative effects on your health.


Personally, Id rather see people smoking weed than cigarettes. As to it leading to psychosis, I would need more than 1 biased study to get on that band wagon.

[TheLazyWolf]

I have been smoking every day for almost 7 years. Around 3 grams a day. I have a real problem with impulse control, which alcohol greatly magnifies and has caused me a lot of problems in my life. I don't think weed is for everyone, but its sure for me. One thing these studies never mention is whether or not they were using an indica or a sativa.. I have found that constantly smoking indicas does in fact lower my motivation and desire to be social. Sativas seem to have the opposite affect, though they are a real pain to grow indoors.

[Bluntman428]

I don't smoke, but still being in HS, I see and know a lot of people who do. So far none of them have gone crazy. Also my HS doesn't has the kind of people that use it properly. They abuse it. Alot.

One reason it is also staying illegal is because it is a "gateway drug"*.

*Link to wikipedia if anyone is interested in what a gateway drug is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_drug

If you're still in High School, don't smoke. Save it for college. ;)

Underage smoking is just bad news. You're much more likely to get arrested or drive while under the influence in high school. I think that, like cigarettes, an age restriction of 18 should be placed on Marijuana if it ever does get legalized, and there should be harsh punishments for people distributing to minors. Kids are also more likely to abuse the sweet leaf than a responsible adult with a job.

As for it being a gateway drug...I'm not sure if that's 100% true. Yeah, it was the first drug I did, and I did several others afterwards, but I don't blame the buds. Part of it's just a personality thing. If you're willing to try out Marijuana, you're obviously more likely to try other drugs, as you have a more experimental personality. One major reason I started doing other drugs though is because after I started smoking weed and realized that it wasn't the terrible drug that made you lazy and stupid that the government, schools, and my parent made it sound like...I figured other drugs were equally as harmless.

Most studies that have shown Marijuana to cause negative side effects have been completely debunked. Either for faulty research, tampered results, or in some cases they never did any research at all...like the Reefer Madness propaganda. They used chimpanzees for most of the old studies that linked Marijuana to brain defects such as lowered memory and the like. The memory loss effects have also been proven to be temporary. Once the cannibinoids exit your body, the memory cells wake back up. And I've never really experienced any real memory loss to begin with. Actually, I remember little details about events that my friends and family completely forget about.

[Cisumurug]

I agree with the 2 posts above. For one marijuana isn't for anyone. And I think the people who do develop psychosis are the people overusing it when they should be avoiding it in the first place.

I for one would be at a higher risk of developing psychosis. My dad has schizophrenia and my mom is a manic depressive. That's why I don't really smoke much anymore. I used to smoke a lot and then I started having panic attacks when I was high and that really fucked with my head.

I know I shouldn't be using it in the first place. I actually wouldn't be but since my friends are stoners I can't resist. :p