Quote:
Originally Posted by kestrelx
They are repeating the same argument over and over again also! Thank you very much!
Does cannabis make you mad? Does Cannabis Make You Mad? | CLEAR
Conclusion: Cannabis And Mental Health, The Case For Reform
Concerns of a link between cannabis and mental illness areperhaps the strongest argument for cannabis law reform. |
Bear in mind that Clear are a a pressure group working to reform the law.
For the other side,
Cannabis: key facts from the Royal College of Psychiatrists
For many of us, cannabis is a way to relax – 2 million people in the UK smoke it and half of all 16 to 29-year-olds have tried it. But research suggests that it can cause problems in some vulnerable people.
… How does cannabis work?
When smoked, cannabis from the lungs goes into the blood and is carried to every part of the body. Several chemicals in cannabis bind to receptors in areas of the brain that deal with pleasure, memory, thought, concentration and the awareness of time. There are two main kinds of chemical involved:
a group called the cannabinoids, which seem to give you the more pleasant effects – feeling relaxed, happy, sleepy, with colours appearing more vivid and music sounding better
THC, which seems to produce hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia.
These feelings don’t usually last long – although as the drug can stay in the system for some weeks, subtle effects can last a few days. Long-term use can make you depressed and less motivated.
… What is the risk to mental health?
Depression
1600 Australian children aged 14 to 15 years were studied for 7 years; the ones who used cannabis every day were five times more likely to become depressed and anxious by the end of the study.
Schizophrenia
If you start smoking cannabis before the age of 15 years, you are four times more likely to develop a psychotic illness. The more cannabis you use, the more likely you are to develop psychosis. It isn’t clear why cannabis use in adolescence seems to have such an effect, but it may be because the brain is still developing.
… Is there such a thing as ‘cannabis psychosis’?
Some people seem to get a short period of psychosis that is brought on by cannabis but which
stops soon after the cannabis is stopped.
… If it’s so dangerous, why don’t more of my friends get unwell?
Probably because most people don’t use cannabis before they are 15 and don’t go on smoking large amounts. Psychotic illness is quite unusual anyway – only about 1 in 200 people have it at any given time. Most of us probably don’t know that many people, so even if cannabis does increase the risk, you aren’t likely to notice an ‘epidemic’ among the people you know.
… What about other effects?
Education
The connection isn’t clear, but regular cannabis use does seem to affect how you do at school or college.
Employment
Cannabis users are more likely to leave work without permission, spend work time on personal matters or daydream. Regular users report that it has interfered with their work and social life.
Driving
A recent study in France showed that cannabis users are more than twice as likely to be the cause of a fatal crash than to be one of the victims.
… Is cannabis addictive?
Cannabis has some of the features of addictive drugs – a regular user has to take more and more to get the same effect (tolerance) and can get withdrawal symptoms.
Three out of four long-term users get cravings, half become irritable and seven out of ten switch to tobacco to try to stay off cannabis. Many find that they spend much of their life seeking, buying and using it. It is probably about as hard to stop as tobacco.