ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND Cannabis is one of the most widely used illicit substances and there is growing interest in the association between cannabis use and psychosis. Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC) the principal active ingredient of cannabis has been shown to induce psychotomimetic and amnestic effects in healthy individuals. Whether people who frequently use cannabis ... Continue Reading
Psychosis
STUDY: Association between cannabis use, psychosis, and schizotypal personality disorder: findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions
ABSTRACT: Background Studies to date showing an association between cannabis use and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are of relatively small sample sizes with limitations in generalizability. The present study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between cannabis use and psychotic-like symptoms in a large representative community sample. Method Data ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Schizophrenia – Appraising the Risks of Reefer Madness
ABSTRACT: Editor’s Note: Studies that have tied cannabis use to schizophrenia in the developing brain are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marijuana. Are different strains and synthetic cannabinoids especially dangerous? Are we doing enough to educate young people on the risks? Does marijuana use lower IQ? Where is the line between medical marijuana and ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Cannabis—A Valuable Drug That Deserves Better Treatment
ABSTRACT: About 150 years ago, a French psychiatrist, J. J. Moreau, conducted a novel clinicalEXPERIMENT in which he administered hashish to humans. His volunteers, including Moreau himself, experienced “occurrences of delirium or of actual madness. …” He concluded that “There is not a single, elementary manifestation of mental illness that cannot be found in the mental ... Continue Reading
STUDY: Adolescent cannabis use and psychosis: epidemiology and neurodevelopmental models
ABSTRACT: Cannabis is one of the most widely used illicit drugs among adolescents, and most users firstEXPERIMENT with it in adolescence. Adolescence is a critical phase for brain development, characterized by neuronal maturation and rearrangement processes, such as myelination, synaptic pruning and dendritic plasticity. The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in ... Continue Reading