[ad_1]
According to researchers at the origin of the largest study of its kind, frequent cannabis use and high-resistance varieties will likely increase the risk of mental health problems among users.
Experts have already pointed to a link between cannabis use and psychosis, especially among vulnerable people who use it extensively. Research now suggests that the potency of cannabis is also important, as patterns of cannabis use are related to the frequency of new cases of psychotic disorders in different cities.
The study estimated that 30% of cases of psychotic disorders for the first time in South London and half of those in Amsterdam could be avoided if high-potency cannabis was not available . According to the team, this equates to about 60 fewer cases per year in South London.
"If you're a psychologist like me who works in this catchment area and sees patients with psychosis in the first episode, it will have a significant impact on services and, I would say, on family and society." said Dr. Marta Di Forti, the principal author of the research, King's College London.
High concentration cannabis, such as Skunk, contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels of psychoactive substance greater than 10%. According to data published last year, 94% of cannabis seizures by British police involved high-strength varieties. These varieties also contain very little cannabidiol (CBD), a substance that could protect against psychosis.
In the journal Lancet Psychiatry, Di Forti and an international team of researchers describe how they studied patient data, including cannabis use, collected between mid-2010 and mid-2015 from 901 adults under age 65 who arrived in mental health services. Ten sites in Europe or one in Brazil received their first diagnosis of psychotic disorder that was not, for example, brain tumors or acute addiction.
In comparison, the team surveyed more than 1,200 healthy people from the same regions about their cannabis use. The strength of cannabis was estimated from the name that individuals gave it.
After taking into account factors such as alcohol, education and the use of other drugs such as ketamine, the team found that people with a psychotic disorder were more likely to have taken at some point in their lives than those who did not suffer.
The researchers also highlighted the frequency of use: the odds of suffering from a psychotic disorder were 40% higher among those who consumed more than once a week compared to those who used it rarely, if ever, while the disorder was more than three times higher among daily cannabis users than among those who rarely, if ever, used it.
Moreover, daily users of high-concentration cannabis were more likely to suffer from a psychotic disorder than those who had never used it compared to those who used low-level cannabis daily.
The most important link between daily cannabis use and the presence of a psychotic disorder was in Amsterdam, where the chances were seven times greater than those who had never used drugs: almost all cannabis sold in the coffee shops in Amsterdam was very powerful. Varieties containing 67% THC were found in the Netherlands. The incidence of psychosis was higher in Amsterdam than in most of the other sites studied, only South London having exceeded it.
"The daily consumption of high-grade cannabis and its variation in Europe explains some of the striking variations that we have measured in the incidence of psychotic disorders," said Di Forti.
However, she noted that all daily users of high-consumption cannabis do not develop a psychotic disorder, which means that it's important to determine who is most vulnerable and which other factors also play.
The study had limitations because it was based on user-reported cannabis use and only a small number of participants were involved at each site. In addition, the THC and CBD levels of cannabis were not directly measured, while the results could, at least in part, relate to those most at risk of psychosis from being more likely to use cannabis.
Professor Sir Robin Murray, another author of the King's College London study, said the study had implications for the debate on the legalization of cannabis.
"If you legalize cannabis, unless you want to pay more beds in psychiatry and psychiatry, you have to design a system that would legalize in ways that do not increase consumption and increase potency," he says.
Dr. Adrian James, Clerk of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said, "A good drug strategy should focus on prevention and harm reduction, not diversion into the criminal justice system," adding that anti-fight services be restored.
Source link
