POT MAKES YOU CRAZY

Marijuana users beware.

This product may cause hallucinations or psychotic behavior. Users may
also experience periods where they believe they are a god.

Researchers and scientists have been studying the effects of marijuana
on the brain for years. Now they are asking themselves a new question.

Can marijuana usage cause psychosis?

Some say yes, some say no, but one Purdue researcher says
maybe.

"I'm not an expert in (the cannabis-psychosis link) at all," said
Julia Chester, an assistant professor in psychological sciences. "It
seems those who have used cannabis or marijuana tend to have more
problems with psychosis."

Psychosis, according to Wikipedia.org, is a generic psychiatric term
for a mental state in which thought and perception are severely
impaired. Psychosis is thought of as a symptom of a mental illness
rather than an actual mental illness itself. But psychosis can occur
in people who don't have a chronic mental illness as a result of an
adverse reaction to drugs or stress.

Studies show the use of cannabis can increase the risk of developing
psychosis later on in life. Studies, however, also show that the
increased risk of developing psychosis occurs in the individuals who
have a predisposition for developing it.

"They don't really know what the reason is, but basically all
responses to substance abuse are due to individual genetic
differences," said Chester.

Chester said it's possible for long-term smokers to be more at-risk
for developing psychosis, especially if the person starts at a young
age while the brain is still developing. She said ages 10 to 20 are a
critical time when the brain is developing. If a person smokes
marijuana, it could effect the connections that are being made.

"(At these ages) when people smoke marijuana, they kind of retool the
wiring. The brain is sensitive to drugs at this time and it can set
off changes in the brain that then make the person vulnerable to
developing psychosis."

Marty Green, clinical social and addiction specialist for Counseling
and Psychological Services, said there may be other reasons for why
marijuana might trigger psychosis.

"Not necessarily marijuana makes (psychosis) happen ... any number of
drugs can trigger that," said Green. "Pot could be laced or mixed with
something. Pot is often laced or mixed with other drugs that can
trigger a psychotic response."

Although it's still unclear whether other elements aside from cannabis
cause psychosis, both Chester and Green agreed that there is still a
lot of research to be done on this topic.

"There's a lot of interesting information about pot out there; some
misinformation, some good," said Green, "however, (marijuana) does an
interesting dance in the brain."