Smoking cannabis virtually doubles the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, researchers say.
The New Zealand scientists said their study suggested this was probably due to chemical changes in the brain which resulted from smoking the drug.
The study, published in the journal Addiction, followed over 1,000 people born in 1977 for 25 years.
UK mental health campaigners said it was more evidence of a "drug-induced mental health crisis".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4305783.stm
If you take notice of such news what do you do ?
-Never begin smoking anything at all ?
-Slow down on your cannabis use ?
-Simply shrug it off and continue the way you were ?
They talk a lot about the 'risk' of increased chances of developing symptoms and this is not the same as measureable numbers of developed symptoms. I should like to read the paper itself, if anyone has any idea where to get access to it I would be most grateful.
However, I do agree that psychotropic drugs will obviously cause a chemical change in the brain, this I think is undeniable. As a result of this there may be an increased potential for psychoses. But there is no evidence as yet that any propsed changes to drug laws will lead to any increase in cases of mental illness. I dispute the idea that its decriminalisation will cause a vast increase in the number of people using cannibis. I believe that people who wish to try drugs do so regardless of law and as such the decriminalisation will not cause a significant rise in useage or mental health problems. This study does not prove anything more than the possibility that cannibis affects the chemical state of the brain, something that has been obvious to drug users for decades.
Originally posted by ivanhoeWell...
Smoking cannabis virtually doubles the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, researchers say.
The New Zealand scientists said their study suggested this was probably due to chemical changes in the brain which resulted from smoking the drug.
The study, published in the journal Addiction, followed over 1,000 people born in 1977 for ...[text shortened]...
-Slow down on your cannabis use ?
-Simply shrug it off and continue the way you were ?
I can't find out who financed the study. But, let's, for the sake of the discussion, presume it was 100% objective.
These are proven facts about alcohol use:
Alcohol goes directly into the bloodstream, physically affecting the whole body. Some illnesses and health problems caused by alcohol include:
Hangovers. Headaches, nausea, vomiting, aches and pains all result from drinking too much. Drinking to the point of drunkenness makes you sick.
Weight gain. Alcohol is not water. A beer has about 150 "empty" calories that provide few if any nutrients.
High blood pressure. Along with being overweight, high blood pressure is associated with many serious health problems.
Depressed immune system. Impaired immunity makes you more likely to contract viral illnesses such as flu and infections.
Cancer. 2-4% of all cancer cases are related to alcohol. Upper digestive tract cancers are the most common, hitting the esophagus, mouth, larynx, and pharynx. Women who drink prior to menopause are more likely to develop breast cancer. Your risk of skin cancer doubles if you drink slightly more than "moderate levels." Some studies implicate alcohol in colon, stomach, pancreas and lung cancer. And let's not forget the liver...
Liver disease. Heavy drinking can cause fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. The liver breaks down alcohol at the rate of only one drink per hour.
Alcohol poisoning. Drinking large amounts can result in alcohol poisoning, which causes unconsciousness and even death. Breathing slows, and the skin becomes cold and may look blue. Don't let a person in this condition "sleep it off." Call 911.
Heart or respiratory failure. Excessive drinking can have serious results. Heart or respiratory failure often means death.
Other long-term effects of heavy alcohol use include loss of appetite, vitamin deficiencies, stomach ailments, sexual impotence, central nervous system damage, and memory loss.
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Besides that there are worse drugs on the market than marijuana and worse drugs for you, we have to look at mental health problems and what causes them.
A lot of studies show that a mental disease like depression, schitzophrenia or bi-polar disorders are inherent to a person. Basically meaning that they're going to manifest themselves, if you are that way inclined, no matter.
Wether it's the death of a loved one, a divorce, stress at work, drug/alcohol use or whatever. Eventually something will trigger it.
As I've mentioned before there was a study sometime in the late 80's/early 90's which showed that masturbation increases the chances of a psychotic episode just as much as smoking marijuana.
So, to answer your question...I'm stoned right now 🙂
Originally posted by ivanhoe
Smoking cannabis virtually doubles the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, researchers say.
The New Zealand scientists said their study suggested this was probably due to chemical changes in the brain which resulted from smoking the drug.
The study, published in the journal Addiction, followed over 1,000 people born in 1977 for ...[text shortened]...
-Slow down on your cannabis use ?
-Simply shrug it off and continue the way you were ?
Then again, just last week cannabis was protecting against dementia:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1423977,00.html
You can claim pretty much anything based on one-off medical studies. I should know... it's my job.
Rich.