Does daily cannabis use, especially of high-potency \u201cskunk\u201d strains, lead to an increased risk of developing psychosis? Based on recent media coverage, you can be forgiven for thinking so. But you should really take a closer look before you believe the hype.<\/p>\n
The newest study to find itself in the media spotlight follows a string of\u00a0\u00a0much-hyped but dubious claims<\/a>\u00a0linking cannabis use to psychosis and schizophrenia. But this one actually appears in the respected British medical journal,\u00a0The Lancet<\/a>, and was carried out by a team from London\u2019s prestigious\u00a0King\u2019s College<\/a>, which raises the question: Is there really cause for concern here?<\/p>\n Perhaps some. However, you should start by noting the caveat in the very first sentence in study\u2019s official summary of the findings: \u201cCannabis use is associated with increased risk of later psychotic disorder but whether it affects incidence of the disorder remains unclear.\u201d<\/p>\n Contrast this with the portrayals in the press coverage. The\u00a0NBC<\/a>\u00a0headline reads: \u201cDaily use of high potency marijuana linked to higher rates of psychosis, study finds.\u201d Britain\u2019s\u00a0Daily Mail<\/a> went with: \u201cPowerful \u2018skunk\u2019 which is 94 percent of the cannabis on London\u2019s streets raises psychosis risk five-fold.\u201d<\/p>\n The study looked at cannabis use in 900 individuals in 12 cities across Europe and Brazil. The strains being used were identified as either high-potency (at least 10 percent THC) or low, although some guesswork seems to be involved here. As stated in NBC\u2019s paraphrase of the findings: \u201cAcross the 12 sites, people who used any type of cannabis on a daily basis were three times more likely to have a diagnosis of a new episode of psychosis, compared with people who had never used cannabis, the researchers concluded. This increased to five times more likely for daily use of high-potency cannabis.\u201d <\/p>\n And the link was found to be strongest in London and Amsterdam where high-potency strains are supposedly \u201cmost commonly available.\u201d\u00a0In Amsterdam, half of all new cases of psychosis were \u201clinked with high-potency use\u201d; in London, one-third of new cases were \u201clinked with high-potency use.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLinked with\u201d is something of a weasel phrase here. If more people per capita are using cannabis in Amsterdam, then a higher proportion of those diagnosed as psychotic in Amsterdam will be cannabis users. This does not necessarily imply causality; hence the caveat in the official summary of the findings. But the study\u2019s authors struck a less cautious tone when talking to the media.<\/p>\n \u201cOur findings are consistent with previous studies showing that the use of cannabis with a high concentration of THC, also known as skunk-like cannabis, has more harmful effects on mental health than weaker forms,\u201d NBC quoted Dr. Marta Di Forti of the\u00a0Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience<\/a>\u00a0at King\u2019s College. \u201cFor the first time we have consistent evidence that there is a dose-dependent relationship between cannabis use and induced psychosis at a population level. The more cannabis you consume the more likely you are to develop a psychotic disorder.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Di Forti was even more direct in her comment to the Daily Mail: \u201cTHC is the culprit in the psychotic events.\u201d She even asserted that if \u201cskunk\u201d was taken off the streets of London, new cases of psychosis would drop 30 percent, from 46 to 32 cases per 100,000 people.<\/p>\n These are grossly irresponsible claims that reporters at NBC and the Daily Mail should have questioned rather than credulously echoed. First, they go well beyond the more guarded findings of the study. Secondly, as\u00a0we have\u00a0argued before<\/a>, there is a case to be made that high-potency strains are\u00a0more beneficial<\/em>, as they require users to smoke less to achieve the same effect \u2014 sparing the lungs exposure to tar and carcinogens. The assumption that users of \u201cskunk\u201d are all getting zonked out of their minds is an arbitrary one.\u00a0<\/p>\n But there are more serious faulty assumptions at work here. <\/p>\n First and foremost is the probability that some users are self-medicating with pot, whether consciously or not \u2014 always a huge flaw in such studies. When scientists see a \u201clink,\u201d this really just means a correlation. And correlation (as the researchers admit when writing for peer-review and not media consumption) does not imply causality. In fact, they may be interpreting the data precisely backwards \u2014 cannabis may be\u00a0alleviating\u00a0<\/em>the symptoms associated with \u201cpsychosis.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitch Earleywine, a psychology professor at SUNY Albany and author of\u00a0Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence<\/a><\/em>, contacted by Cannabis Now, noted that the Lancet study also looked at \u201ccontrol\u201d groups classed by use of other drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, as well as education and income. \u201cAll of these variables have been linked to psychotic symptoms, but what does the title focus on? Cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n And the \u201clink\u201d to cannabis could be rooted in reasons other than causality. Earleywine postulated: \u201cWe probably have serious self-medication. A high-CBD strain could easily tranquilize some facets of psychotic symptoms. A teen who happened upon it in the underground market could spend a lifetime continuing to search for the same one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Earleywine also offers a critique of the prohibitionist assumptions behind the reportage (manifested in the call to get skunk \u201coff the streets\u201d): \u00a0\u201cFinally, let\u2019s assume the risk is \u2018real.\u2019 Fine. If you have a first-degree relative with psychosis, don\u2019t use cannabis. Let\u2019s spread the word. No need to waste law enforcement time or wreck someone\u2019s life. Just spread the word.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Armentano of\u00a0NORML<\/a>\u00a0issued a statement<\/a>\u00a0responding to The Lancet study. He first bemoaned: \u201cThe notion that marijuana makes you crazy is back \u2014 and with a vengeance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Rather than the linear relationship now being portrayed, Armenatno points to studies indicating \u201ca multi-directional association between cannabis and psychiatric illnesses.\u201d For instance, a 2005\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0by researchers at\u00a0Erasmus Medical Center<\/a>\u00a0in Rotterdam was entitled: \u201cCannabis use predicts future psychotic symptoms, and vice versa.\u201d<\/p>\n He notes that NORML itself has\u00a0cautioned<\/a>\u00a0\u201cthat those predisposed to psychosis or other disorders may be at higher risk for adverse events. That said, it remains premature at best, and sensational at worst to claim that a causal relationship exists between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders on the basis of this new paper. That is because, by the observational nature of its design, this study at best can only demonstrate a correlation.\u201d<\/p>\n Armentano protests that \u201cdespite this limitation, the authors boldly \u2018assume causality.\u2019 Given the fact that such a cause-and-effect relationship remains unproven and there as of yet exists no consensus among experts that such causation exists, their assumption is, at best, highly questionable.\u201d<\/p>\n He also asserts that the association between \u201cpsychiatric illness\u201d and cannabis use \u201cmay exist because many psychiatric patients are self-medicating with cannabis. Or, this relationship may persist because many people predisposed to psychosis are similarly predisposed to also using cannabis \u2014 a theory that is supported by many experts in the field.\u201d Here he points to a 2016\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0by researchers at the\u00a0University of Wyoming<\/a>, \u201cCannabis and Psychosis: a Critical Overview of the Relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps most importantly,\u201d Armentano continues, \u201cthe fact that cannabis has been used by various populations for decades at disparate rates, yet rates of psychosis and other psychiatric disorders have generally remained static over this same period of time, strongly argues against a direct causal relationship.\u201d Here he refers to a 2009\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0by researchers at England\u2019s\u00a0Keele University<\/a>, \u201cAssessing the impact of cannabis use on trends in diagnosed schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005.\u201d The mass media appear to be currently stirring or exploiting (returning to the question of causality!) a backlash against the recent gains for normalization of cannabis. So we can expect to see more such claims in the near future. It is advisable to develop a keen analysis, rather than swallowing them undigested.<\/p>\n TELL US<\/strong>, how do you decide if a source is reliable when reading about cannabis?<\/p>\n The post Yet Another Pot-Psychosis Link Claimed: More Reefer Madness?<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Does daily cannabis use, especially of high-potency \u201cskunk\u201d strains, lead to an increased risk of developing psychosis? Based on recent media coverage, you can be forgiven for thinking so. But you should really take a closer look before you believe the hype. The newest study to find itself in theContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,4612,53,9502,3949,7203],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33932"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33932"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33933,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33932\/revisions\/33933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Distorted Claims\u00a0<\/h4>\n
The Critics Respond<\/h4>\n
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Finally, Armentano concludes that the concerns raised by the new Lancet study actually \u201cprovide an argument in favor of greater regulation of the plant so that it can be better kept out of the hands of young people and those who may be at higher risk for an adverse reaction. But maintaining cannabis prohibition, unfortunately, achieves neither result. Placed in this context, these latest scare-mongering claims \u2014 even if taken at face value \u2014 do little to advance arguments in favor of tightening prohibition, and provide ample ammunition to wage for its repeal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\nRead More: Yet Another Pot-Psychosis Link Claimed: More Reefer Madness?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"