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   From: gateway-drugs@marijuana.com   
      
   A recent study from Canada has revealed a strong link between marijuana   
   use among young people and psychosis, reigniting debate around the   
   dangers of cannabis use as momentum continues to grow for legalization   
   in the United States.   
      
   According to the study, which was conducted by the Centre for Addiction   
   and Mental Health (CAMH), the University of Toronto, and the Institute   
   for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, data from more than 11,000 youth   
   revealed that young marijuana users (ages 12-24) are 11 times more   
   likely to experience psychosis or develop a psychotic disorder than   
   non-users.   
      
   Five of six adolescents in the study who sought treatment via   
   hospitalization or emergency room visits for psychotic disorders   
   self-reported pot use. While the researchers clarified that cannabis use   
   does not automatically mean one will develop a psychotic disorder, there   
   is a strong correlation between those who suffer from psychosis and   
   marijuana use.   
      
   “The study is the first to show an age-dependent association between   
   self-reported cannabis use and subsequent psychotic disorder diagnosis,   
   which adds to a growing body of research on the mental health risks   
   associated with cannabis,” CAMH said in a statement.   
      
   The increased potency of popular marijuana strains appears to be a major   
   factor driving increased health risks. In the early 1990s, cannabis only   
   contained five percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the   
   psychoactive substance in marijuana. But since then, genetic   
   modification has resulted in the THC content of the average plant   
   skyrocketing by more than 300 percent.   
      
   “Modern-day cannabis is simply not the same as the plant used in the   
   1960s through the 1980s or even as recently as 10 years ago,” Carrie E.   
   Bearden, a professor of psychiatry, recently wrote for Scientific   
   American. “New strains of cannabis are highly potent, making them more   
   addictive and potentially more dangerous.”   
      
   The CAMH study aims to educate people about the hazards of cannabis use,   
   especially as the stuff becomes more widespread and normalized in   
   popular culture and its potentially deadly side effects are   
   diminished. “Psychotic disorders are associated with many adverse   
   outcomes, including suicide, homelessness, unemployment, and an average   
   life expectancy of 10–20 years less than the general population,” the   
   study reports.   
      
   The CAMH study builds on another bombshell report from The Wall Street   
   Journal last year also linking youth marijuana use to psychosis. “Nearly   
   a third of adolescents they [Boston Children’s Hospital] see for   
   checkups say they are using cannabis,” the Journal reported. “About a   
   third of children using cannabis report experiencing hallucinations or   
   paranoia.”   
      
   “One young man had nearly crashed his car because he thought demons were   
   chasing him,” the Journal report continues. In another case, “a teenager   
   with cannabis-use disorder had threatened to kill his mother.”   
      
   Currently, recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, two   
   territories, and the District of Columbia. Fifteen more states have   
   legalized the medical use of marijuana, meaning 39 total U.S. states   
   have legalized marijuana in some capacity. The CAMH study, however, was   
   conducted in Canada, where marijuana use is legalized throughout the   
   country, with some provinces allowing individuals as young as 18 to   
   purchase it.   
      
   Nonetheless, marijuana use is still common among American teenagers,   
   even in states where it is not yet legal. According to the Centers for   
   Disease Control and Prevention, “In 2022, 30.7% of US high school 12th   
   graders reported using cannabis in the past year, and 6.3% reported   
   using cannabis daily in the past 30 days.”   
      
   These recent revelations on the growing link between youth marijuana use   
   and psychosis underscore the importance of education on cannabis,   
   especially among young people.   
      
   “Why is the increased risk of psychosis so profound in teens? The   
   researchers in my field think it has something to do with the   
   significant rewiring that happens in adolescent brains, which continues   
   into our early 20s, when symptoms of psychotic disorders typically start   
   showing up,” Bearden said. “The same molecules and receptors in our   
   brains that interact with THC (known as the endocannabinoid system) play   
   an essential role in brain development.”    
      
   In the CAMH study, even if teens stopped using cannabis, their psychosis   
   often continued. Bearden wrote that she had witnessed this with many of   
   her patients, including some who had completed inpatient treatments. The   
   damage from cannabis was severe and permanent.    
      
   “In light of such daunting data, some researchers have begun sounding   
   the alarm,” Bearden said. “But we are struggling to get this information   
   to those who need to hear it most: parents, educators, and legislators.”   
      
   While questions about U.S. legalization continue to loom, one Idaho   
   lawmaker is hoping his state won’t follow suit, citing disastrous   
   results in surrounding states that have chosen to legalize the drug.   
      
   “Looking around at other states that have legalized marijuana, it’s not   
   improved their states as a place to raise a family, to do business,”   
   said Idaho state Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican. “It just hasn’t come   
   through with the promises that we heard years ago for those states.”   
      
   While recreational marijuana use, particularly in teens, remains a   
   pressing concern, the drug has increased in popularity, particularly   
   when it comes to medical applications. A Pew Research Center poll   
   revealed that support for marijuana research has doubled in the past 20   
   years, with 70 percent of Americans saying they support legalization,   
   compared to 31 percent in 2000.   
      
   Even for proponents of marijuana legalization, however, it is difficult   
   to ignore the mounting pile of evidence that cannabis use carries far   
   more risks than mainstream culture would lead people to believe. Ongoing   
   research continues to prove that marijuana today is not the marijuana of   
   the 90s – and young people may be the guinea pigs for just how dangerous   
   this far more potent pot is.   
      
   https://amac.us/newsline/society/study-youth-marijuana-use-linked-to-psyc   
   hosis/   
      
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