Doctors: Pot Triggers Psychotic Symptoms

LONDON -- New findings on marijuana's damaging effect on the brain show the drug triggers temporary psychotic symptoms in some people, including hallucinations and paranoid delusions, doctors say.

British doctors took brain scans of 15 healthy volunteers given small doses of two of the active ingredients of cannabis, as well as a placebo.

One compound, cannabidiol, or CBD, made people more relaxed. But even small doses of another component, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, produced temporary psychotic symptoms in people, including hallucinations and paranoid delusions, doctors said.

Here’s another article from the UK which contains some more interesting info. - like the fact that THC levels have risen from 6% to 12% in recent years. I remember some time ago when I tried to tell the potheads from DU that post here on FR that the THC levels had risen and that it had become a serious physical and mental health problem. They became quite indignant and swore that wasn’t the case, lol.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6606931.stm

Cannabis ‘disrupts brain centre’

Thousands are thought to be dependent on cannabis
Scientists have shown how cannabis may trigger psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Experts are concerned that street cannabis is becoming increasingly potent. It is thought that average THC content has risen from 6% to 12% in recent years.

OK, how about those who have tried it...once or a thousand times before:)

Do they risk psychosis too? For instance, say a person is about 50yrs old, has smoked it for over 30 years, votes GOP, keeps a six-figure job and has an IQ over 140...are they at risk of suddenly going nuts?

Wondered that myself

Explains the behavior of the 60's radicals currently occupying the hallways of power in the leftist Congress...

Just a hunch, but I suspect it explains a lot more than that. I continue to be puzzled by the irrationalism, hatred, conspiratorial thinking, and aggressive stupidity that has become more-or-less mainstream on the left. This is not politics as usual, and it's been getting worse over time. I hasten to add that I wouldn't put it all down to drugs, but I have had a sneaking suspicion for some years now that drugs may be a significant contributing factor.

Obviously there are many exceptions in both directions: a scattering of conservatives who use regularly as well as a presumably larger number of leftists who are sober. That said, if a significant proportion of the population is habitually intoxicated and if the various drugs of abuse tend to produce psychotic symptions, one would expect to find wide-ranging effects, and not just in the emergency rooms.

I presume that all of us are familiar with the drug use statistics among criminals. I am pretty sure what we would find if we drug tested long-term welfare recipients. I suspect we would find strong correlations as well if we tested people at the polling places. I do not think the incidence of drug abuse is randomly distributed across the political spectrum, and I do think it is large enough to have measurable effects at the level of political dynamics. The political divide today perhaps runs deeper than differences on the issues.

Let me close by saying that I do not approach this subject with a holier-than-thou attitude. While I have no personal experience with marijuana or any other illegal drug, I used to drink. A lot. I got sober the usual way and in the process spent enough time in recovery circles to come to believe that the epidemic of drug abuse is big enough to have such consequences. Perhaps I am overreacting to that experience but I don't think so.

For instance, say a person is about 50yrs old, has smoked it for over 30 years, votes GOP, keeps a six-figure job and has an IQ over 140...are they at risk of suddenly going nuts?

This sounds a lot like me and I am a little nuts, but in an adorable and fun way. And I am 49 years old and have been an almost daily smoker for 33 years. Happily married to my husband of 28 years. We have three awesome kids and are living a life I never dreamed possible.

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