| There is a legitimate and casual link between smoking | | | | What seems to be happening though with marijuana |
| marijuana and increased rates of psychosis and | | | | induced psychosis is that although the symptoms of |
| schizophrenia later in life, and a number of different | | | | the drug induced psychosis will disappear quickly after |
| and independent clinical studies have come to these | | | | the effects of the marijuana wear off, it seems to |
| same conclusions. | | | | speed up the expression of the schizophrenia by |
| If you smoke as a teenager, you are between 2 and 3 | | | | many years. Patients who do experience a psychosis, |
| times more likely to experience clinical psychosis | | | | on average will present with schizophrenic symptoms |
| disorders later in life, and the younger you start | | | | years before those people who do not experience a |
| smoking, the greater your chance of developing a | | | | marijuana induced psychosis. |
| schizophrenic like disorder. | | | | If you do have a marijuana induced psychotic reaction, |
| Secondly, those people who experience a marijuana | | | | you are very at risk for later in life schizophrenia, you |
| induced psychotic reaction, (a temporary break with | | | | will probably come down with schizophrenia sooner, |
| reality while high after smoking marijuana) have about | | | | and you should take steps to preempt the disease |
| a 50% chance of developing full blown schizophrenia | | | | before it emerges. Talk to your doctor about this. |
| within the following three years. | | | | Marijuana causes 8% of all schizophrenia |
| A causal link to schizophrenia | | | | The vast majority of smokers will not develop |
| Researchers have concluded that use is casually | | | | schizophrenia as a result of their use, but if we could |
| linked to the development of schizophrenia, but is not a | | | | somehow eliminate the use of the drug, we would see |
| sole cause, and exists as a component cause | | | | an almost 10% reduction in the prevalence rates of |
| amongst many different other factors. Still, after | | | | tragic and life changing schizophrenia. |
| methodologies which examining the data on marijuana | | | | Scientists working on these studies point to the |
| use and schizophrenia, they have determined that if | | | | widespread usage of the drug as a problem, and |
| use could be eliminated, there would be an 8% | | | | conclude that we as a society are very unlikely to |
| reduction in the cases of later in life schizophrenia, | | | | eliminate the usage any time soon. They conclude that |
| which would be a very significant public health victory. | | | | for the best public health effects, at risk youth need to |
| Schizophrenia remains a poorly understood disease, | | | | be targeted and hopefully deterred from smoking it. |
| and the causes that lead to its emergence remain | | | | Parents need to keep teens safe from marijuana |
| obscured. Researchers suggest that smoking | | | | For a number of reasons, parents need to be very |
| increases the risks of disease expression on people | | | | concerned about use by young teens. It seems as |
| already vulnerable to contract the disease, but who will | | | | though if parents can keep kids from experimenting |
| not necessarily contract the disease. | | | | with the drug until the age of 18, they spare their |
| Marijuana psychosis means a 50% chance of later | | | | children an enormous risk to schizophrenia, and these |
| schizophrenia | | | | kids are at a far lower chance to ever develop any |
| This is indicated by those people who do experience a | | | | real substance abuse problems. |
| marijuana induced psychotic episode. Marijuana | | | | Because marijuana use amongst younger teens is on |
| psychosis is not a common occurrence, but does | | | | the rise, the study authors predict that in the coming |
| happen and it seems to happen in people already at | | | | decades we will see an increases in rates of |
| risk to develop psychosis like disorders later in life. | | | | schizophrenia. |