Psycho peril for teen pot users

The Sunday Mail (AU) ^ | 06MAR05 | Jessica Lawrence

[familyop]

Shocking research reveals teenagers who smoke cannabis are twice as likely to develop psychosis.

The ABC's Four Corners TV program tomorrow night airs research that shows the human brain does not fully develop until the early 20s, placing pot-smoking teenagers at risk of suffering significant and permanent damage.

The New Zealand research destroys the myth that cannabis is a soft drug and experts say today's hydroponic marijuana is being "morphed" into a different substance from that smoked by the hippie generation.

Psychiatrist Dr Andrew Campbell said the widespread use among young people – one in five teenagers uses cannabis – was a "tsunami waiting to happen".

"This is going to get worse before it gets better . . . We've already got an epidemic in incidents of psychosis. Cannabis makes teenagers think they are king of the world and in control . . . but if they don't stop using it they're in big trouble," Dr Campbell said.

He is calling for schizophrenia to be called "drug-induced psychosis", and estimates about 80 per cent of his patients have used cannabis.

"Often when users stop smoking is when they start experiencing psychosis," he said.

[NorCalRepub]

your success does not statistically disqualify any study that might show significance about this issue......you are on one sample anomaly

[thoughtomator]

I know people who drink who haven't achieved squat either. Your average 14-year-old can tell that this reefer-madness rehash is total BS, they know a heck of a lot more than most adults assume. They will never ever be convinced by something they know is a lie.

[starfish923]

Sometines, with teenagers, it's hard to tell what is normal behavior.

[Frank_2001]

Or, see "Marihuana: Weed with Roots in Hell";)

[Blackirish]

Same here I graduated High School in 1976...nuff said.

That said our weed was like drinking light beer compared to the Wild Turkey the kids use now.

[starfish923]

I don't understand the appeal of pot or drugs in general. I admit that I smoked it a couple of times in college and I hated the way it made me feel. The first time, it had no effect on me at all. The second time, I felt stupid, slow and completely disconnected from everything around me. And because I hate that feeling, I don't take pain medications unless I'm in excruciating pain. I just can't understand why people find it pleasureable.

Lol. Boy, you sure AREN'T a Libertarian.
I'm with you. drugs are for dopes. They have no other way to have fun so they have to dope themselves into oblivion, THEY think it's rather cool. I think it's just stupid.

[thoughtomator]

You're alcohol-free, I take it?

[NorCalRepub]

i dont' doubt that either but any psychotropic drug whether alcohol or pot or drugs can hot wire or short circuit brain function.......not to say the brain won't compensate but the chemical pathways can be muted or renderd immature by excessive chemical introduction.....

[lolhelp]

And everyone who falls for your story needs to stand on their head in the corner.

[thoughtomator]

We basically have two choices. One, we can become a prohibitionist police state, accepting a high level of organized crime. Two, we can allow people to self-intoxicate freely with the understanding that no matter what they do they are still responsible for their own behavior. The evils of the former option exceed those of the latter by several orders of magnitude.

The other thing I'll note here is that anti-drug arguments are pretty much identical to anti-gun arguments (people can hurt/kill themselves therefore the government must stop people from having them). If you agree with the reasoning for the former, there's not much ground to stand on opposing the latter.

[spodefly]

He is calling for schizophrenia to be called "drug-induced psychosis", and estimates about 80 per cent of his patients have used cannabis. "Often when users stop smoking is when they start experiencing psychosis," he said.

Just say no ... to stopping.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

I hate to diappoint you, but I think that if people want to be stupid, they should be able to. I don't understand why they want to do it, but it's their choice. I've seen far too many lives destroyed by alcohol to think that smoking pot is worse.

[Uncle Meat]

"Often when users stop smoking is when they start experiencing psychosis," he said.

Like taking candy from a baby,wouldn't ya think?

[NorCalRepub]

I am only commenting on the risks of using psychotropic drugs on undeveloped minds......I'm not giving any credence to prohibition or self intoxication etc......I'm only commenting on the fact that the neuropathways of the brain are easily influenced and may take years to change and in the case of adolescents, the optimum pathways could be damaged....unlike many here, i'm not digressing to other agendas or theorys.....

[thoughtomator]

Yeah, children shouldn't be touching anything, not pot, not alcohol, not anything else. I suppose rare, parentally supervised use of small amounts aren't particularly harmful, but we'd have a heck of a tough time making and enforcing standards on that.

[combat_boots]

Reefer Madness nostalgia:

http://www.reefer-madness-movie.com/watch.html

The 1938 movie IS a hoot, if you've never seen it, and now you can! Seriously, I knew someone who had the thing on 16mm tape years ago, and watched it one time. I hadn't heard of it previously. It was funny.

[totherightofu]

Too bad you missed this part:

"The New Zealand research destroys the myth that cannabis is a soft drug and experts say today's hydroponic marijuana is being 'morphed' into a different substance from that smoked by the hippie generation."

[traumer]

naaaaaaaah

[totherightofu]

Your IQ doesn't serve you too well or you would have understood this part:

"The New Zealand research destroys the myth that cannabis is a soft drug and experts say today's hydroponic marijuana is being 'morphed' into a different substance from that smoked by the hippie generation."

[thoughtomator]

Well, now, 'experts'. That settles the issue.