FALL RIVER, Massachusetts (LifeSiteNews) — Cases of psychosis are increasing since marijuana has become available over-the-counter. This was predicted. Psychotic symptoms may include auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, or other odd, disorganized thoughts and behavior.
A delusion is a fixed, false belief and may be bizarre or plausible, like being convinced that your parents have been replaced by space aliens or that your boyfriend is cheating on you.
The increased occurrence of psychotic illness in marijuana users was noted in psychiatric clinical literature many years ago. Some of these studies were verified through replication. Today, the availability of powerful hybrid strains, the concurrent use of energy drinks, or psychostimulant drugs and medications can increase this risk. Psychosis is not a good thing. There is no guarantee the person will respond to treatment with antipsychotic medicines.
Scientific findings suggest a 3-fold increase in the frequency of psychotic illness among users of marijuana. Some argue that it’s not the fault of the cannabis but rather that those with dormant schizophrenia are more likely to use cannabis, thereby unmasking their mental illness. Sort of like how persons attracted to skiing have dormant bone abnormalities unmasked when schussing in Colorado. Their hip would have spontaneously shattered at some future point anyway.
Not everyone who smokes tobacco gets lung cancer. Not everyone who uses cannabis becomes schizophrenic. But there are quantifiable risks for both. It is known that blood relatives of persons with schizophrenia should not use cannabis because of their genetic predisposition for psychotic illness.
It would be interesting to see the past, current, and predicted ER visit and hospitalization expenditures for the treatment of cannabis-induced mental illness from our major health insurers. Sequi pecuniam.
The numbers are not likely to go down given that its legalization appears to have officially declared cannabis harmless, nullifying cannabis’ categorization as a hallucinogen.
Learn to recognize psychotic symptoms and behaviors. Cannabis-induced psychosis must be diagnosed and treated early to prevent permanent brain alterations.