The causal link between marijuana use and the development of psychosis is the most well-replicated, high-impact finding in schizophrenia research today.
Cannabis and its main psychoactive ingredient, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), can induce acute psychotic symptoms in healthy individuals, exacerbate preexisting psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, and increase the risk of schizophrenia after long-term use.
The heavier the marijuana use and the more potent the product, the more likely a psychotic outcome like schizophrenia. Daily use of potencies considered only moderate by current U.S. standards increases risk fourfold to fivefold. The risk for using higher potency is just now being studied.
Marijuana-induced psychotic breaks are those most likely to lead to a diagnosis of schizophrenia within eight years.
The risk of schizophrenia among regular cannabis users rises by an average of 300%.
Thirty-five percent of those who experience paranoia, delusions, or auditory hallucinations as occasional symptoms can be expected to eventually transition to a full psychotic break if they continue to use marijuana.
Cannabis Use Disorder carries an increased risk of schizophrenia by fourfold, and 27% of people with schizophrenia had been diagnosed with cannabis use disorder in their lives. JAMA 2021, IASIC.
One of the periods of rapid growth for the human brain occurs from age 12 through 25. This is a crucial period that determines the structure and future functioning of the adult brain.) It is also crucial not to use during this period. As are testimonies show, early pot use leds to the many deaths in this next section.
I am a physical therapist who so strongly believed in medical marijuana that I went to work in a Massachusetts marijuana dispensary for 1.5 years as a budtender. My dispensary sold high-potency products. There were rashes, mildew, and mold on the marijuana; the labeled weight was incorrect; batches were mixed with different testing results; marijuana…
My daughter is 24 years old and suffers from cannabis use disorder and cannabis-induced psychosis. We had her back for a short time, but the addictiveness of this drug has pulled her away from us once again. Roxanne was a beautiful baby, and as she got older, she was very bubbly and her imagination was…
My brother thought he was John the Baptist. He slept under a freeway because he believed God wanted him to live there. (See https://anightinjail.com/ and a long story of Kirk’s life from Moms Strong: https://momsstrong.org/2018/01/19/brothers-marijuana-use-led-mental-illness/ ) About 10% to 15% of the population is predisposed to psychosis, and most of us don’t know it. Many people have not heard THC…
My son Adam suffers from cannabis use disorder and cannabis-induced psychosis. My husband and I worked hard to provide our kids with a loving and stable home. Our son was born in 1995. He did well in school. He skied in the winter, swam in the summer, and always had friends. In the spring of 2017,…
On December 23, 2021, my son, Josh, took his own life by jumping in front of a train in Pecos, Texas. He was on his way home from California, where he had been dabbing Delta-8 and -9 THC. Joshua left our home in Texas after dabbing marijuana for the full month of December. He decided…
My son, Brant, was a healthy, happy, bright, and normal teenager. He was a senior in high school, had excellent grades, and planned to attend college in the fall. He never had any discipline problems either at school or with the law. Brant had a gentle, quiet, and reflective side to his personality as well…
My younger son, Andy Bauer, ended his own life in September of 2018. I couldn’t understand at that time how my son, a young man with everything going for him, could take his own life. Andy was an amazing young man. Like many others have described their loved ones, Andy was very intelligent and loving. …
Our son Kevin was 15 years old when he started abusing marijuana. He was very good at hiding his use until he came to us and said he was depressed and needed help. We spoke with an educational consultant who evaluated Kevin and recommended a therapeutic wilderness program. This was the beginning of many years…