Study Says Marijuana Use Not Linked to Schizophrenia
Increased cannabis use by the public has not been followed by a proportional rise in diagnoses of schizophrenia or psychosis, according to the findings of a forthcoming study to be published in the journal Schizophrenia Research.
Investigators at the Keele University Medical School in Britain compared trends in marijuana use and incidences of schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005. Researchers reported that the "incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining" during this period, even the use of cannabis among the general population was rising.
"[T]he expected rise in diagnoses of schizophrenia and psychoses did not occur over a 10 year period," authors concluded. "This study does not therefore support the specific causal link between cannabis use and incidence of psychotic disorders. ... This concurs with other reports indicating that increases in population cannabis use have not been followed by increases in psychotic incidence."
The results of a separate clinical trial published earlier this month reported that the recreational use of cannabis does not stimulate the production of dopamine in a manner that is consistent with the development of schizophrenia.
Last year, British lawmakers reclassified cannabis possession from a verbal warning to a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in jail. Lawmakers called for the increased penalties in large part as a response to allegations that marijuana use was linked to rising incidences of mental illness.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. For additional information on cannabis use and mental illness, please see the NORML white paper, "Cannabis, Mental Health, and Context," available online at: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6798. Full text of the study, "Assessing the impact of cannabis use trends in diagnosed schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005," will appear in Schizophrenia Research.
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The marijuana -schizophrenia link was a scare tactic left over from the war on drugs . It is just as silly as other drug war propaganda, such as that pot makes you lazy. If this were the case, Michael Phelps would not have been able to win 14 Olympic gold medals and Bill Gates would not have been able to build Microsoft to its dominant position.
Keeping marijuana illegal does not benefit our children . It benefits special interest groups: drug cartels, the prison industry, police departments, and government bureaucracies.
It is immoral to prevent responsible adults from choosing to use a less harmful substance in place of alcohol . If pot were legalized, alcohol use would decrease along with its associated social costs.
If you want marijuana to be legalized, taxed, and regulated for adults, YOU can make it happen. Tell your legislators to support California Assembly Bill 390. It's easy. Visit yes390.org
The anti-drug cartels are grasping anything that throws smoke or sounds dangerous to create more propaganda for their depleted arsenal. They have had all their standard shock lines destroyed in
debate after debate,and they are scrambling for new material.
As each myth that they have started is shot down,their untenable position becomes more precarious and their fall is immanent.
Thanks MPP and all the organizations fighting for the rights of people to their pursuit of happiness.