Posted on 03/05/2005 6:11:15 PM PST by 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.
Hm, physicians and Ph.D.s who know what they're talking about or anonymous morons on an Internet message board? I'll go with the former. ;)
"I put three of them permanently out of police work. It was a pleasure."
Sounds like an interesting story. Can you elaborate?
Stacey Keach being "morphed" into a lizard in "Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams"comes to mind.Can anyone post a pic of that?
Good! No doctor or physician, especially a government-employed one, would ever lie to you. Glad you picked up on that.
If I had smoked pot, I never would have earned a BA, MBA, and JD with honors from some of the top schools in the Country. Oh wait, I've been smoking pot since 1975.
I was wondering what happened to my college friends. Glad to know you are doing ok. I have come to realize that a lot of research is done by groups which are funded by organizations that pretty much have a pre conceived notion of what they want the results to show.
Maybe they need to realize this is not a message about how dangerous pot is but how the adolescent brain functions. If you had kids who had been drinkers since 12 I bet the results would be very much the same.
If they're experts, that's a whole different kettle of fish.
Or fish-heads.
I know folks who have been smoking pot since about that age that are doing quite well now. I know of no one who was drinking at that age who has gotten anywhere with their lives.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition [I am a member]
Did you not read the part about the difference in the pot they are growing now? You know, just because we don't like news doesn't mean we should ignore it.
sundero
Where in the heck did New Zealand find researchers that don't know the difference between coincidence and causation?
Yep.
Hate to be a wet blanket but I agree with you again. People sure DO have the right to be stupid. Keeps so many others employed in fixing them.
I don't condone alcohol any more than pot. But the stale argument of defending pot by citing alcohol just doesn't cut the mustard. Pot is worse as it is more of a "gateway" drug than alcohol. At least, that's what the medical field says.
So, it's more potent, just not as much more potent as the US govt has said? So? And, for heaven's sake, the article is from SLATE!
sundero
But the numbers are the government's own. And you know, just because we don't like where the news comes from, doesn't mean we should ignore it.
Hey, Indie. You might know where I'm coming from on the divorce/cohabitation rate, drug abuse and all of that by now. I blame the counter-culture tendencies of our Baby Boomer generation.
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