'PSYCHO' RISK FROM ONE JOINT

SMOKING cannabis just ONCE increases your risk of suffering a
psychotic illness by 41 per cent, new research has shown.

Using the drug regularly can more than double the risk, the study
claimed.

The findings emerged after British scientists pooled data from 35
studies around the world.

They show people who smoked the most cannabis were the most likely to
suffer a psychotic breakdown marked by delusions, hallucinations or
disordered thoughts.

For frequent users, the risk rose by between 50 per cent and 200 per
cent.

The report's authors, based at Bristol University, said there was no
definite evidence that cannabis triggered psychosis, only that there
was a strong link.

About 20 per cent of young adults take cannabis at least once a
week.

Marjorie Wallace, boss of mental health charity Sane, said: "This
analysis should act as a serious warning of the dangers of heavy
cannabis use."

The Transform Drug Policy Foundation, which campaigns for drug law
reform, warned against "knee-jerk reactions".