Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Pot smokers are up to five times more likely to develop psychosis, according to the results of a new case-controlled study published Monday in the UK medical journal The Lancet.
In the study, Marta Di Forti from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and her colleagues studied how the regular use of high-potency (skunk-like) cannabis affected the association between marijuana use and psychotic disorders.
A three-fold increase
According to AFP reports, they recruited a total of 780 people living in south London, including 410 who were being treated for conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Di Forti’s team found that 24 percent of all instances of psychosis in their study could be linked directly to the use of skunk-like cannabis.
“Compared with those who had never tried cannabis, users of high potency, skunk-like cannabis had a threefold increase in risk of psychosis,” she said. “The risk to those who use every day was even higher – a fivefold increase compared to people who never use.”
Furthermore, Di Forti and her colleagues found that the use of a milder form of the drug (hash) was not associated with increased risk of psychosis, a mental health issue marked by delusions or hallucinations. In the UK, an average of one new case is diagnosed per 2,000 people per year.
“This paper suggests that we could prevent almost one-quarter of cases of psychosis if no one smoked high potency cannabis,” said Robin Murray, professor of psychiatric research at King’s College London and a senior researcher for the study. “This could save young patients a lot of suffering and the NHS (National Health Service) a lot of money.”
London’s got a skunk problem
Skunk cannabis contains more of the main psychoactive ingredient of the substance, THC, than other forms of cannabis, BBC News explained on Monday. Hash, also known as cannabis resin, contains a substantial amount of another substance, cannabidiol (CBD), which researchers have shown can help counteract the psychotic side effects of THC.
However, as Di Forti told the BBC, it is “very difficult” to find anything but skunk cannabis in London. She added that there have been, “…lots of reports from police across the UK saying [they] have become a great producer of skunk. And not only do [they] use it locally but [they] export, so this is a Made in England product.”
The study, Di Forti explained, emphasizes the need for health officials to send “a clear public message” to pot users, similar to the medical advisories that have been issued for substances like tobacco and alcohol. She added that doctors should be encouraged to ask their patients about the frequency of their cannabis habit, as well as the type that they use.
It is the latest in a long line of scientific research linking cannabis use and psychosis in recent years, according to AFP. A 2010 survey of 3,800 young adults in Australia found an increased risk of psychosis in those who started smoking cannabis at an early age and used it for several years. A 2009 study, also published in The Lancet, cited UN Office on Drugs and Crime figures and claimed that nearly four percent of all adults worldwide used cannabis.
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