Pubdate: Wed, 24 Aug 2016
Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016, West Partners Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.kelownacapnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294
Author: Paul Latimer

MARIJUANA AND ITS EFFECTS ON ADOLESCENTS

As we continue to move down the road to legalizing cannabis for 
medicinal and recreational use, we must also continue to research its 
effects-both the potentially therapeutic and the potentially harmful.

For years there has been a perceived link between marijuana use and 
the development of psychotic symptoms. Though an association has been 
seen, there have been limitations in the studies done to date.

We have not been able to determine whether a prior history of regular 
cannabis use increases an adolescent's risk of experiencing 
persistent psychotic symptoms even after drug use has stopped for 
several months or years.

Also, it has been unclear whether the association between adolescent 
marijuana use and later psychotic symptoms is actually causal or a 
function of other factors. Some wonder whether cannabis causes 
symptoms or whether people already with those symptoms are more 
likely to attempt to self-medicate with cannabis.

A study published in May examined this relationship in more than 
1,000 adolescent boys to determine whether those with regular 
marijuana use had a systemic increase in psychotic symptoms that 
persisted even during periods of abstinence from cannabis use.

Results found that regular adolescent marijuana use may significantly 
increase the likelihood of developing persistent psychotic symptoms.

For each year adolescent boys regularly used marijuana, their 
expected level of psychotic symptoms rose by 21 per cent, their odds 
of experiencing paranoia went up 133 per cent, and hallucinations 92 
per cent. Further, the effect of marijuana use on psychotic symptoms 
persisted even when the teens stopped using the drug for a year.

No support was found for the self-medication theory-the subjects were 
not more likely to use marijuana after their psychotic symptoms increased.

This is a good step forward in our understanding of the relationship 
between marijuana use and the development of psychotic symptoms and 
disorders. However, more research is needed. For example, this study 
examined only boys from one geographic region. Future studies should 
look at girls as well and a variety of environments.

Future research should also examine how many individuals with 
psychotic symptoms went on to develop full-blown psychotic disorders 
in adulthood and whether linkages remain important after accounting 
for other factors.

What we can see though is that there does seem to be a causal 
relationship between regular marijuana use during adolescence and the 
development of psychotic symptoms that can persist even after drug 
use has stopped. This should be considered when we give young people 
information about recreational or medicinal use of this product.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom