POTHEADS, BEWARE: SHRINKS SAY THERE REALLY IS REEFER MADNESS

REUTERS -- Regular users of pot are at greater risk of developing mental
illness later in life, according to research.

One study found that the risk was seven times higher for heavy users, said
professor Robin Murray of the Institute of Psychiatry in London.

Speaking at the Royal College of Psychiatrists' annual conference in
Edinburgh, he said, "In the last 18 months, a number of studies have
confirmed that marijuana consumption acts to increase later risk of
schizophrenia."

The findings come as the British government prepares to downgrade marijuana
from a Class B to Class C drug next year.

Most people caught in possession of a small amount will have the drugs
confiscated and receive a reprimand or warning, the Home Office has said.

According to a government fact sheet, pot "can cause psychotic reactions
among individuals with mental health problems," but it does not suggest use
of the drug can cause those problems.

For his study, Murray reviewed research in Sweden, Holland and New Zealand.

A recent Dutch study of 4,000 people in the general population showed that
those taking large amounts of marijuana were almost seven times more likely
to have psychotic symptoms three years later.

Another study, in 1987, of 50,000 Swedish army draftees found that those
who admitted at age 18 to having taken marijuana on more than 50 occasions
were six times more likely to develop schizophrenia in the following 15
years. Murray said these findings had been largely ignored.