Smoking every day with a potent pot increases the risk of psychosis, according to a study

This article is courtesy of the Associated Press.

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) – The largest study ever on marijuana use could multiply by five the risk of developing psychosis, according to the impact of marijuana on the rate of psychotic disorders.

The research adds to previous studies that revealed links between marijuana and mental health issues, but she still has not identified marijuana as the cause.

Psychotic disorders – in which people lose touch with reality – are usually triggered by factors such as genetics and the environment. However, experts say the findings of the new study have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana, warning them that they should consider the potential impact on their mental health services.

"If we think that there is something special about cannabis (very powerful), then making it harder to find, could be a useful measure to reduce the damage," said Suzanne Gage, of the 39, University of Liverpool, which was not related to the new study.

Researchers from King & # 39; s College London and elsewhere badyzed data from a dozen sites in Europe and Brazil between 2010 and 2015. About 900 people in whom a first episode of the disease had been diagnosed in a mental health clinic, including those with illusions and hallucinations, were compared. with more than 1200 patients in good health. After questioning patients about their use of cannabis and other drugs, the researchers found that daily marijuana use was more common in patients with a first episode of psychosis than in the healthy control group.

The scientists estimated that people who smoked marijuana every day were three times more likely to suffer from a diagnosis of psychosis than people who had never used it. For those who used marijuana every day, the risk was almost five times higher. The newspaper was published online Tuesday by Lancet magazine. It has been paid for by donors, including the British Medical Research Council, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.

"If you decide to use very potent marijuana, you have to keep in mind: psychosis is a potential risk," said Dr. Marta Di Forti of King's College, London, lead author of the study. She pointed out that the frequency with which people could smoke low-potency marijuana without increasing their risk of psychosis was unknown, but that using it for less than a week seemed to pose no risk.

Di Forti and colleagues estimated that in Amsterdam about half of the new cases of psychosis were badociated with smoking high-potency marijuana.

Gage pointed out that it was possible that people with a family history of psychosis or other risk factors were more likely to develop problems like psychosis or schizophrenia if they used cannabis.

"It could be the thing that tilts the balance for some people," she said. "Cannabis may be an additional risk factor for them, but it is not necessary to do so. If you use cannabis, it does not mean that you will certainly develop a psychosis. "

The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.