July 11, 2011
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It was Harry’s fault, really. Before Harry, hemp had been a Mexico-America border problem. After Harry, hemp became marijuana and marijuana became illegal.
Harry J. Anslinger commandeered the start today’s anti-narcotics law enforcement. But truthfully, he didn’t care much about hemp. He was hunting opiates and cocaine in the 1930s, until the Depression chopped his budget and he had to find a shiny new drug target with which to win his government dollars back. Mallihuan, “prisoner taken captive by the plant,” from Aztec descent, became the illicit moniker Harry insisted upon, and the drug thus became said target. And so, the governmental charge on marijuana began because of a budget crisis.
Nearly 100 years later, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stands by that decision, ruling that marijuana in all forms, including medicinal, should remain classified. There are a number of suggestive reasonings, political, and otherwise that ferry the no-no gauge back and forth across the argument, but let’s take a look from mental health’s frame of reference. Is the “harmless” drug really harmless?
How Marijuana Works
Marijuana is a Schedule I narcotic in the U.S., meaning that it’s illegal in all settings, from the wildest of parties to the mellowest of hospital beds, and has high potential for abuse. Of its over 400 chemicals, several are psychoactive; that is, they cross the blood-brain barrier to affect brain function and handicap the central nervous system. It’s predominately THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) present in the plant’s flowers, in the resin, that’s most active and determines what kind of high the user will receive. If there’s little of this magical compound, the unfortunate user gets a “headache high.” More THC results in a clear high, but in overmature plants, where THC has converted to cannabinol (CBN), users feel more sedated, heavy and “stoned.”
When smoking marijuana, our lungs quickly absorb THC and carry it through the bloodstream to our brain, resulting in a high within minutes. Cannabis is a bit curious because unlike most drugs that fall firmly into either the hallucinogen, stimulant or depressant category, it falls in all three. Once in the brain, THC interacts with cannabinoid receptors in different parts of the brain, mainly impacting regions controlling sensory perception, motor control, pleasure and memory which results in a distinct high. It furthermore toys with the brain’s noradrenalin and GABA receptors to lessen anxiety.
The Aftereffects and Mental Illness Maladies
Nearly 6,000 Americans a day embrace the plant’s mind-altering influence for the first time, which totals about 2.1 million new users a year. Of this 2.1 million, 62 percent are under the age of 18.
The jury’s still out on whether or not marijuana is a “gateway drug” to harder stuff like opiates and cocaine, and we’re not even sure if marijuana is addictive in the ways of traditional drugs, though it does tweak our dopamine receptors. On this basis, it makes sense that marijuana was dubbed the “harmless” drug.
The frightening part lies not in the drug’s immediate addictive effects but in what marijuana can trigger. Studies show that marijuana increases the risk of psychosis, a loss of contact with reality, in children and adolescents predisposed to mental illness by 40% in their lifetime,1 meaning marijuana can cause predisposed mental illnesses like schizophrenia to blossom. Though this is a relatively rare occurrence, it’s especially important to note for families with young adolescent children and a history of mental illness in the family. In more frequent pot users, this already staggering percentage can escalate to a 50-100% lifetime risk of psychosis for those genetically predisposed. Some mental illnesses may never begin without marijuana’s influence.
Studies have even gone so far to say that marijuana causes psychosis, saying that if the drug was never used, the population would have about 8% less schizophrenia incidence rates.2 To top it off, marijuana can shake and derail the brain’s neural pathways among cannabinoid and dopamine receptors, what’s in charge of our emotional and motivation processing, which may be the root of emotional processing problems seen in addiction and schizophrenia disorders.3
Marijuana’s Legacy
I admit, the first time I read these studies I felt sick. Sick because my uncle is schizophrenic. I’ve rewound his life on a mental VHS tape and have wondered whether or not marijuana began the pull of the first cog in his psychosis. Of course I’ll never know, but I do know he was at the height of his teens in the 70s and that his siblings, like most teens, dabbled in pot use. Of the young adults in the study above, 14% may have never encountered psychotic illnesses if marijuana wasn’t first used.
And so, what I want to focus on in this medicinal marijuana fight is not state law, or politics, or even addiction but on mental illness and education. The message we need to cultivate is a warning. We should be deeply worried for those 6,000 new Americans who sample pot for the first time every day, who get no advice on this outlook of psychosis and the risk involved with jumping in the bed of the “harmless” drug. In this national war over marijuana, it’s protecting and educating the vulnerable early adolescents that we should remember.
1 Moore et al. 2007. Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review. The Lancet. vol 370, pgs. 319-328.
2 Arseneault et al. 2004. Causal association between cannibis and psychosis: examination of the evidence. The British Journal of Psychiatry. vol 184, pgs 110-117.
3 Laviolette, S.R. and A.A. Grace. 2006. The roles of cannabinoid and dopamine receptor systems in neural emotional learning circuits: implications for schizophrenia and addiction. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. vol 63, pgs 1597-1613.
On 7/12/11 I rearranged the following sentence under the “Aftereffects and Mental Illness Maladies” to alleviate confusion: “Studies show that marijuana use among children and adolescents (with over 1.3 million new young Americans partaking a year) increases the risk of psychosis, a loss of contact with reality, in their lifetimes by 40%,1 meaning marijuana can cause predisposed mental illnesses like schizophrenia to blossom.” Please note the change above. I furthermore noted the rarity of such an occurrence.
About the Author: I’m an Interactive TV Producer in New York City; a writer and former chemist. I've seen people do anything to Feel Normal. Follow on Twitter @cassierodenberg.
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How the fossil fuel Industry killed Hemp
Link to thishttp://climateforce.net/2011/07/05/how-the-fossil-fuel-industry-killed-hemp/
It would seem to me that the effects of the drug war, on individuals and society, is far more pernicious than any ill effects from the use of marijuana.
Plus, legalizing seems to work:
Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say http://bit.ly/mWi5Bz
Despite medical marijuana, pot use slips among Montana teens http://bit.ly/oWtjJp
Link to thisRead the side effects attendant to taking blockbuster pharma Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Paxil (paroxetine). Paxil is fiercely addictive, hence its broad application to nuisance old people. Abrupt cessation of a tricyclic antidepressant can be *lethal.* Getting the munchies hardly rates.
“increases the risk of psychosis, a loss of contact with reality in their lifetimes by 40%,1 meaning marijuana can cause predisposed mental illnesses like schizophrenia to blossom. In more frequent pot users, this already staggering percentage can escalate to a 50-100% lifetime risk of psychosis.” If that were even remotely true, near everybody who was teenage in the 60s and 70s would be stark raving batcrap insane rather than being Yuppies.
If “loss of contact with reality” mattered, religion would be banned – certainly the ones that glory in homosexual rape of minors. Applejack will destroy America – Carrie Nation. Jazz will destroy America. Alcohol (again) will destroy America – Prohibition. Comic books will destroy America – Dr. Frederic Wertham, author and psychiatrist, “Seduction of the Innocent.” The Vietnam War was a good thing, for nobody was harmed on either side as democracy triumphed.
Governments do things in their Official capacities that in their personal capacities they loathe. Riiight. The greatest obstacle to understanding reality is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. We lack rigorous characterization of the topology and function of cluelessness. Support evolution – shoot back.
Link to thisAnd? *Everything* has side-effects. You can drown if you inhale too much water! The key is moderation, not prohibition.
Marijuana has obvious medicinal benefits and, compared to other recreational drugs (alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, meth, heroine, etc), marijuana is *relatively* harmless. At the very least, it won’t send you trekking into a freezing cold wilderness, making phone calls about being lost, only to have your dead body found days later (like crystal meth does).
Of course marijuana has side-effects. Of course it causes problems. When overdone, what substance exists that *doesn’t*? Prohibition is still stupid.
Link to thisI found this piece less than well researched and seemingly more political than scientific. To say that the jury is still out on whether marijuana is a “gateway” drug is a good example. The Shafer Commission report from 1972 was clear on this matter; it is not. There are other studies that support this position but too numerous to cite. Strongly recommend you do a bit more research and avoid personal anecdotal evidence to support your contention. One tip, look into the connection between THC use and the development of the amygdala as this is the center of our emotional learning. From my understanding, this part of the limbic system does fully develop until later in life (mid to late 20′s) and THC has a definite effect on potentially inhibiting its maturation.
Link to thisHi @UncleAl — as noted, the 40% psychosis risk is for those genetically predisposed to mental illness. That isn’t to say that every person who uses marijuana will be affected by psychosis; in actuality those affected will be a relatively small portion of the population. It’s important, however, for teens and young adults to be educated and made aware of this risk, especially key for those with marked mental illness in the family.
Link to thisHi @Nate, you’re right, just about anything in this world, from breakfast cereal to eye drops, can be dangerous. Though moderate marijuana use may be fine for many, there are some, such as those with a genetic link to mental illness, who could be adversely affected. The problem is, most everyone knows meth can mess you up. On the flip side, the public isn’t aware of the risk, however small, associated with marijuana. It’s important to educate and warn families with genetic predisposition and beyond.
Link to thisThank you for your response.
First, what makes you think that the public is unaware of the dangers? Because of how many use it? That’s a poor decider. Based upon the amount of people who drink “harmless” Water, I think it’s safe to say that the public is woefully unaware of its dangers, too… right?
Some more info for you:
http://loopylettuce.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/marijuana-myth-pot-increases-the-risk-of-schizophrenia/
“Isolation has not been proven in the marijuana-schizophrenia link. In fact evidence to the contrary is indisputable. Marijuana use has grown significantly in the last 30 years. If schizophrenia was caused by marijuana use then there should be an observable rise in schizophrenia rates as well. No such link has been established. This study from Australia demonstrates these findings (pdf). Before marijuana became popular less than 1% of the population was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and now that marijuana use in widespread the rate of schizophrenia diagnosis is still less than 1%.”
Here’s a study from Australia showing evidence against your claims (PDF): http://www.ukcia.org/research/TestingHypotheses.pdf
And another one from the Canadian Government: http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/repfinalvol1part3-e.htm#_ftn68
That one came with a great conclusion:
“No mental pathology directly related to the overuse of cannabis has been reported, which distinguishes this substance from psychostimulants such as MDNA, cocaine or alcohol, heavy and repeated use of which can give rise to characteristic psychotic syndromes. Similarly, cannabis does not seem to precipitate the onset of pre-existing mental dysfunctions (schizophrenia, bipolar depression, etc.).”
And more links:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20071226/pot-slows-cancer-in-test-tube
http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20061006/marijuana-may-slow-alzheimers
I like this link because it’s too a chart showing annual causes of death… note how, of all of them, marijuana causes ZERO deaths:
http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30
Need I go on?
Link to thisYour sentence about increasing the risk of psychosis by 40% really is less than clear. What you wrote in response to UncleAl is a much more honest way to present and interpret the data.
Link to thisHi @mdtiberi – however unlikely, there is still speculation on whether marijuana is a “gateway” drug. Scientific papers up to present day still question. With science, and increasing marijuana potency, it may be a mistake to rule out.
Thank you for the THC tip. I considered further fleshing out the molecular argument but thought it best to wait to explore THC in depth in a separate posting on that subject alone. You’re right — it’s an excellent topic to ponder!
P.S. – Sorry you don’t like personal anecdote: The aim of this blog is to cultivate a ground for addiction and mental illness to meet personal experience, to open that discussion. Take a look at my first post that explains here: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/white-noise/2011/07/05/addiction-background-hum/
Link to thisI’m open to the chance that there are issues with the following but could someone please explain to me what’s wrong with what I consider the most compelling evidence on the link between cannabis and schizophrenia. Namely that although we see a massive increase in cannabis use since the 70s, the incidence of schizophrenia has actually declined (apologies for the lack of actual figures but this information is taken from a talk given by Prof David Nutt who was the senior drugs advisor for the UK government so I’m inclined to trust it). If there was any causal link then surely it would show up in these figure in a similar way to how liver disease correlates with alcohol consumption.
Link to this@Lou, thanks for chiming in — I’ve rearranged the sentence to be more clear above, and left an edit note at the bottom of the piece with the original wording.
Link to thisHi @grrrargh So glad you brought up this point! Cannabis use in early adolescence (age 15 or below) has the strongest correlation to later psychosis, and it wasn’t until the ’90s that we saw a marijuana use increase in that portion of the population (U.S. data). So, we can tentatively begin to expect an increase in schizophrenia rates in the population data in the coming years, as psychosis develops over a lifetime. Early data from the U.K. actually shows evidence of a beginning rise in schizophrenia rates in London. (See links below)
Here’s some reading on the above if you’re interested. Again, thanks so much for raising that point!
cannabis and young adolescent correlation (book): http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9780195583601
Link to thisincreased cannabis use in the population under 16: http://bit.ly/p8NYJi
U.K. schizophrenia rates: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/182/1/45
Hey @cassierodenberg, thanks for getting back to me. Interesting stuff although I think you could maybe have stressed the fact that the correlation relates to early adolescence in the article as it’s not made overly clear. I would also maybe like to see some figures to get an idea of the size of the ‘at risk’ section of society – those predisposed to mental illness.
I’ll certainly take a look at those links but the problem as I see it with any form of correlation in other age groups – you mention that the ‘strongest’ is in the younger adolescents – is that the figures for cannabis use haven’t gone up slightly in the past 40 years, but rather have gone up by an order of magnitude – maybe you have the figures? If there was any causal link then surely it would have shown up in the figures by now. It’s very easy to track other causal relationships in this way so I find it very difficult to see, if usage has increased so vastly, how there could be a connection in this case.
If it does turn out to be younger kids that are at risk then for me, this is an argument for dropping prohibition. With legalisation comes the application of social norms to drugs and the opportunity for greater education. This could hopefully head off some of the potential problems and secure the supply chains to keep drugs out of the hands of the young – probably a rather good idea in any case.
Link to this“Cannabis use in early adolescence (age 15 or below) has the strongest correlation to later psychosis,”
This seems like the single best reason to legalize/regulate. I had friends in high school that started smoking pot because it was easier to get than alcohol.
I’m all for a full accounting of potential risks of use and understanding the science, but the way you’ve framed this argument, there’s an implicit assumption that legalization might be a bad idea since it will increase use in adolescents. And I don’t think that case has been adequately made.
Link to thisSome important points appear to have been left out:
1.
“Studies show that marijuana increases the risk of psychosis, a loss of contact with reality, in children and adolescents predisposed [what does "predisposed" mean?] to mental illness by 40% in their lifetime”
2.
In more frequent pot users [what does "more frequent" mean?], this already staggering percentage can escalate to a 50-100% lifetime risk of psychosis for those genetically predisposed [what does "predisposed" mean? How "predisposed do you have to be for it to matter?].
3.
Then consider the 8% claim:
But the paper that is cited (reference 2) in support of this claim, reveals something considerably weaker than the impression the blog author, Rodenberg, claims.
Here is Rodenberg’s claim taken from the above post:
“Studies have even gone so far to say that marijuana causes psychosis, saying that if the drug was never used, the population would have about 8% less schizophrenia incidence rates.”
Note: studieS (plural), and the general term “the population”. That sounds highly significant and impressive.
However, here is a direct quote from that quoted review (ref 2 above):
“The population-attributable fraction for the Dunedin study is 8%. In other words, removal of cannabis use from the New Zealand population aged 15 years would have led to an 8% reduction in the incidence of schizophrenia in that population.” (source: http://bit.ly/qelYPV)
So we’re talking here about 15 year olds in New Zealand, and these are the findings of ONE STUDY based on about 1000 participants. (See here: http://bit.ly/nZ4Twy)
So it’s not studies plural, just one study, and it’s not “the population” in general, it’s “that population”, i.e. the population of 15 year olds that were studied.
For the blog author not to make this clear appears at least sloppy. In my view, Rodenberg should explain how a how one study became “studies” in the blog post and how 15 year olds in NZ became “the population”.
Link to this3 questions:
Link to this1) if this is so crystal clear, why does this study needs repeating and repeating? every country does this research, every country finds the same…is this a case of guaranteed- funding research?
2) the point raised above re the massively increased use of pot not being followed by a massive increase in schizophrenia?
3)main point. how do you know which way cause and effect goes? what if the schizophrenics self-select to become pot smokers? in other research, we are more wise about cause and effect. eg when we study effects of meditation, we find it improves physical brain structure, but we wisely conclude we don’t know whether meditators started meditating because their brain was more set up for it in the first place. no offence, but i think this research is a little facile, or maybe a little too emotional?
sorry- re my 2), i had read your reply above, but how do you factor out the increase in other illegal chemical drugs that occured at the same time among youth? or medical chemicals introduced during that period into the adolescent population, like ritalin, now freely traded at schools? or the fact that most people take marijuana as well when they take other, more illegal drugs, which they might be less forthcoming about in reporting?
Link to thisin schizophrenia research, things are always about to be clear within the next years. for decades and decades. future data don’t count, and correlation is not equal to causation!
You know, Cassie, I am put off by your glibness and certainty, especially by your use of causality instead of correlation. And the way you state that cannabis is actually a Category I substance, without a word of immediate demur, makes me puke. But enough of personal stories.
Since you seem willing to reresearch the article, how about some peer-reviewed recent studies on how many teens were cured of anomie, schizophrenia, and depression by cannabis. Mere correlation will do. Oh! You say those studies haven’t been done because kids with schizophrenia weren’t allowed to use cannabis as a possible cure? Gosh, this i complicated! I only know from straight experience with cannabis from 1957, never abused it, but have known dozens of users. Some were kinda apathetic, but the vast majority were just normal people, carpenters, coders, pianists, moms and dads. They used cannabis like beer, for relaxation and fun. I suppose they didn’t drink beer because they used cannabis, so they might have been saved from alcoholism. More than one said that forced to a choice, beer would go. Hmmm. And don’t get me started on the effects of using … autos.
Link to thisOverheard in the White House:
Aide: Look, Mr. President! Scientific American says cannabis causes schizophrenia in 40% of teens.
Mr. Pres: Call Attorney General Holder and have him launch raids on pot farms, medical cannabis clinics and sick folks! And while you’re at it, write some threatening letters to cities and states thinking of legalizing medical cannabis! Step to it, Holder! Kids are getting sick!
Link to this