Politics
Tuesday March 1, 2005
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
Smoking Pot Doubles Mental Illness Risk
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, March 1, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Zealand researchers have established that marijuana use doubles the risk of developing a mental illness like schizophrenia.
After interviewing 1,000 people about their history of cannabis use, the University of Otago researchers established that psychotic symptoms were more prevalent in cannabis users. They established that the relation between mental illness rates and drug use was not due to an underlying illness driving the users to use more marijuana.
Lead researcher Professor David Fergusson said the increased psychosis risk resulted from chemical changes in the brain induced by marijuana. “Even when all factors were taken into account, there was a clear increase in rates of psychotic symptoms after the start of regular use,” he wrote in the journal Addiction, according to a BBC report.
“These findings add to the growing body of evidence from different sources, all of which suggest that heavy use of cannabis may lead to increased risk of psychotic symptoms and disease in susceptible individuals.”
UK mental health charity Rethink spokesman Paul Corry told the BBC news: “This is the latest in long line of international research over the last 12 months that shows we are facing a drug-induced mental health crisis.”
Meanwhile, Canadian Marijuana Party leader Marc-Boris St-Maurice said Monday that he is joining the Liberal party, because he feels it is the best chance for legalization. “I think there is wide support for marijuana reform within the Liberal party,” St-Maurice said in a press release Monday. He plans to attend the Liberal Part convention this weekend to drum up support.
tv
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- By the Numbers: The Ten Most Popular LifeSiteNews.com Stories of 2008
- Kissinger on Obama: "The Reception of Him is So Extraordinary Around The World ... a New World Order Can Be Created"
- Doctors Who Refuse Assisted Suicide “Genuinely Wicked” says UK Bioethics “Philosopher Queen”
- President Bush Urges Republicans to Defend Culture of Life
- Doctor of Dogmatic Theology and Ob/Gyn Condemn Early Induction Abortions at Catholic Hospital in London Ontario
- Carleton University Pro-Life Group to Host Silent No More Campaign after Two Years of Opposition from Student Association
- Greek Bishop Sues Homosexualist Group for Defamation
- Medical Expert Says that Contraceptive Pill is Causing Global Rise in Male Infertility
- Interview: Retired Pontifical Academy for Life Head Launches New Pro-life Initiative
- Eluana Englaro Sentenced to Death without Medical Examination Charge Italian Activists
- New Jersey Rules against Christian Group that Declined to Host Lesbian Civil Union Ceremony
- Outspokenly Orthodox, Pro-life Archbishop Takes Over in Vancouver Diocese
Most Read this Week
- Vatican Newspaper Publishes Article Detailing Birth Control Pill as Cause of Abortion and Cancer
- Abortion Group Ipas Defends Abortion Targeting Unborn Girls
- Obama Selects Yet another Pro-Abortion "Catholic" for Leading Office
- Mother Refuses All Further "Parental" Visits with Daughter by Former Lesbian Partner as Trial Looms
- NBC Boots Top Conservative Pundit Ann Coulter from Today Show, Quickly Rebooks Following Uproar
- Outspokenly Orthodox, Pro-life Archbishop Takes Over in Vancouver Diocese
- New Survey Finds Only 9% of Americans Support Unrestricted Abortion
- Doctors Urge Puberty Blockers for Children Considering Sex Change
- French UN “Sexual Orientation” Push Linked to Radical Yogyakarta Principles
- New Jersey Rules against Christian Group that Declined to Host Lesbian Civil Union Ceremony
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.