RESEARCH LINKS HEAVY CANNABIS USE TO SCHIZOPHRENIA

New research by the Centre for Hunter Mental Health Services and the
University of California has revealed that smoking cannabis can create the
same effects on the brain as a schizophrenic episode.

For the first time, structural brain imaging equipment is being used to
examine what effect cannabis has on the brain.

The centre's senior registrar in psychiatry, Martin Cohen, says the
research shows that far from being a benign drug, cannabis actually
heightens the likelihood of developing a mental illness.

"People who use cannabis heavily develop cognitive deficits, thinking
problems, which are really similar to the negative symptoms of
schizophrenia," Dr Cohen said.

"It's suggesting that there's a common underlying pathology and that is
then translated into an increased risk of adolescents that use cannabis
developing schizophrenia.

"Anecdotal thinking that cannabis is a fairly inert substance - you get
stoned and then perhaps a few weeks later you pick up, and your thinking
sort of recovers again, is actually getting mitigated against by this
emerging body of evidence.

"Consequently, we need to perhaps look at public health initiatives to help
our youth actually understand how serious this can be."