Hashishi

Debate rages over cannabis-schizophrenia link
A Zurich University study claiming to establish a link between smoking cannabis and developing schizophrenia has become the subject of intense debate in Switzerland.
7-24-'07 | swissinfo.org | by Matthew Allen

Researchers found an increased rate of schizophrenia among young people during the liberal 1990s. But how many of these patients actually used cannabis remains unknown, critics point out.

The study analysed data from around 8,000 patients in canton Zurich who were first time admissions for schizophrenia between 1977 and 2005. The 1990s showed a higher incidence of the condition in the age groups most likely to take cannabis.

This meant that males in the 15 to 19-year-old age group were three times more likely to develop the illness than in other decades and that susceptibility increased two-fold for 20 to 24 year olds, according to the research which was published on Monday.

Study co-author Wulf Rössler told swissinfo that the results proved a direct link to cannabis usage.

"We know from other experimental studies that cannabis can cause psychosis, but we have now established a clear link to schizophrenia for the first time," he said.

"The risk of developing schizophrenia has a direct relationship with the rate of consumption. With occasional users it does not increase the risk, but if you smoke regularly, daily, over a period of years, then it increases the risk two to three times."

Not convinced

But the Federal Health Office is not convinced by the report, pointing to another unexplained leap in schizophrenia in the mid-1980s and the fact that the patients' drug histories and other medical details remained unknown.

"It does not uncover the medical history of the patients, for instance the consumption of psychotic substances or other factors that could lead to psychotic illnesses," said the office in a statement.

"The connection between schizophrenia and cannabis consumption is not clarified yet."

Ambros Uchtenhagen, a renowned expert in drug issues at the Zurich-based Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine, welcomed the report, but also sounded a cautious note about its findings.

"The results are purely hypothetical and they should not be misused in any way, particularly for political purposes to say that we now know that cannabis produces schizophrenia," he told swissinfo.

Warning issued

"Nobody knows if these people have ever used cannabis. This is an interesting hypothesis and it is an invitation to look more closely at what happened."

The Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Problems said it found the hypothesis "quite conceivable", but not proof, and pointed to other research that suggested a connection between cannabis and schizophrenia.

Spokeswoman Gerlind Martin also warned vulnerable people against dabbling in drugs.

"Young people who are in their developmental stages and adults experiencing difficult life situations should not consume drugs, including cannabis," she said.

__________________

xxdr_zombiexx

[Crossposted from ChimpsterNation]


Yeah, they were talking about it.

Or, the reefer mad nutjobs over there were talking about it because their panties are still in a wad over the declassification a couple years ago.

"The sky will fall" the reefer mad say.

Experts say "Ummm...the sky has not fallen and it matters little about the classification anyway."

Experts dismiss case for cannabis reclassificationIf they eat too much what?

Sugary stuff.

While cannabis doesn't CAUSE psychosis, and the purpose of the reclassifiers is to scare people into reclassification so THEY feel better, sugary bad foods DO directly cause diabetes, which has been an epidemic in America, especially with the youth.

I take exception to the way they contrive to equate psychosis with diabetes. While I think there's a tiny kernel of truth to "predisposition" with diabetes, it's not like Schizophrenia, which is known to affect 1-1.5% of the human population. America's junk food addiction is clearly tied to the diabetes issue beyond the shadow of doubt and has caused more diabetes to be reported, hence the "epidemic" labelFast food is far more dangerous than Marijuana.

This is a far bigger concern than this shaky nonsense about cannabis and psychosis.

Cannabis can and does exacerbate psychotic symptoms in people predisposed. People with these illnesses should avoid smoking, whether legal or not. It's very basic health-supporting behavior.

But if cannabis actually DID cause - as in create something that was not there to begin with - psychotic illnesses in people, that would, like the dangers of alcohol tobacco and heroin, already be well-established and beyond any reasonable argument. And, per the researchers allegations, we would see an epidemic of psychosis - several hundred thousand in the UK alone.

Approximately 10-15 % of the American population smokes some amount of marijuana between 1 time a year to more than one time per day.

The Reefer Mad crowd may actually be sensing their twilight and that's why we see this renewed push of old, previously demolished crap being recycled again.

Oddly, as severe as the ONDCP is about lying about pot, we seldom hear them talking about the psychosis issues like folks in the UK do. The ONDCP is more fond of bombastic bullshit like "Canadian bud is the crack of marijuana" or "Pot smokers fund terrorism". Shit like that.

I know it;'s unpopular to make such blanket assertions, but really, people who still believe this are ignorant and completely uninformed.

If one's only "credible source" about cannabis is a government, then you cannot possibly know what you are talking about because the government lies constantly.

__________________
Torture Good, Healthcare Bad, Marijuana Evil.

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

Buzzby

The epidemic of cannabis psychosis* was, until recently, contained within the borders of the UK and Australia. Now it seems to be spreading to Switzerland. The World Health Organization should quarantine these countries to keep it from infecting the rest of the world!

*cannabis psychosis
n.
The irrational belief that cannabis causes psychosis

__________________