WEED MAY MAKE YOU GO PSYCHO

Study Points to Mental Disorders

LONDON, England - Using marijuana increases the risk of one day
developing a psychotic
illness such as schizophrenia, according to a study that provides some
of the strongest evidence yet linking the drug to a mental disorder.

Marijuana is one the most commonly used illegal substances in many
countries with up to 20 per cent of young people in places like
Britain reporting either some use or heavy use, British researchers
said, citing government statistics.

Many consider it on par with alcohol or tobacco, but the results show
marijuana poses a danger many smokers underestimate, said Stanley
Zammit, a psychiatrist at Cardiff University and the University of
Bristol, who worked on the study.

The researchers found that marijuana users had a 41 per cent increased
chance of developing psychosis, marked by symptoms of hallucinations
or delusions later in life, than those who never used the drug. The
risk rose with heavier consumption.

"If you compare other substances like alcohol or tobacco, it may not
be as harmful, but what we are saying is neither is itcompletely
safe," Zammit said in a telephone interview.

Schizophrenia-Like Symptoms

Other findings have highlighted the link between marijuana use and the
risk of schizophrenia-like symptoms such as paranoia, hearing voices
and seeing things that are not there.

But this study marks one of the most comprehensive, thorough and
reliable reviews of its kind and should serve as a warning, two Danish
researchers wrote in an accompanying comment in the Lancet medical
journal which published the study on Friday.

They said the results mean an estimated 800 cases of schizophrenia in
the United Kingdom could be prevented each year by ending marijuana
consumption.

"We therefore agree with the authors' conclusion that there is now
sufficient evidence to warn young people that cannabis use will
increase their risk of psychosis later in life," they wrote.

Meta-Analysis

The team did not look directly at people who used marijuana but
instead conducted what is called a meta-analysis by reviewing 35
studies in search of a potential connection between psychotic illness
and using marijuana.