During the push to legalize the use of marijuana, arguments were made that this would be an excellent revenue-generating opportunity that allows for the regulation of a “safe” drug with no increase in potential negative consequences.
Unfortunately, the “experts” were wrong. And, once again, the nation’s young men are poised to be the biggest victims of their blunder.
Young men who regularly smoke marijuana may have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a new study.Schizophrenia cases in men ages 21 to 30 could have been prevented by up to 30% without persistent use of marijuana, medically coined “cannabis use disorder” (CUD), according to findings published May 4 in the journal Psychological Medicine. The study, based on data from nearly 6 million people in Denmark ages 16 to 49, concluded 15% of schizophrenia cases in males may be preventable if CUD was avoided.”Although CUD is not responsible for most schizophrenia cases in Denmark, it appears to contribute to a non-negligible and steadily increasing proportion over the past five decades,” the researchers concluded.
The authors of the study note that increasing use of legalized pot has contributed to the mistake notion that pot is “safe”.
Crucially, said Carsten Hjorthøj, the study’s lead author, “Increases in the legalization of cannabis over the past few decades have made it one of the most frequently used psychoactive substances in the world, while also decreasing the public’s perception of its harm. This study adds to our growing understanding that cannabis use is not harmless.”Schizophrenia is far from the only danger from what pop culture treats as harmless fun. Cannabis also has been definitively associated with “depression, anxiety, and suicidality” among adolescents. Its increasing public acceptance also coincided with a doubling in fatal car crashes between 2000 and 2018. Instances of pediatric marijuana poisoning have grown severalfold.In states that legalized it, crime, including from armed crime syndicates, has increased, not decreased.
The report, which was shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and published in Psychological Medicine, sounds the alarm about “Cannabis Use Disorder” (CUD) and the rapidly expanding market for this drug.
Cannabis use disorder(link is external) and schizophrenia are serious, but treatable, mental disorders that can profoundly impact people’s lives. People with cannabis use disorder are unable to stop using cannabis despite it causing negative consequences in their lives. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality, and the symptoms of schizophrenia can make it difficult to participate in usual, everyday activities. However, effective treatments are available for both cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia.“The entanglement of substance use disorders and mental illnesses is a major public health issue, requiring urgent action and support for people who need it,” said NIDA Director and study coauthor Nora Volkow, M.D. “As access to potent cannabis products continues to expand, it is crucial that we also expand prevention, screening, and treatment for people who may experience mental illnesses associated with cannabis use. The findings from this study are one step in that direction and can help inform decisions that health care providers may make in caring for patients, as well as decisions that individuals may make about their own cannabis use.”
Contributing to this disturbing trend is advances in cultivation that has led to even more potent marijuana. For example, one study that analyzed over 38,000 illicit marijuana samples provided by the DEA from 1995 to 2014 determined that its potency had approximately tripled in that period.
The average concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was about 4% in 1995. However, in 2014 it had grown to 12%. THC is the substance that induces euphoria and relaxation by stimulating neurons in the brain to release very high amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Another factor that will likely add to the havoc on our society by this “safe” drug is that it is now being mixed with the deadly opioid, fentanyl.
Dr. Michael Wenzinger, a staff psychiatrist at Washington University School of Medicine, has seen a few cases where teenagers have inadvertently consumed the combination. He doesn’t want to alarm people about this, but says parents need to have it on their radar.Wenzinger says among his practice and his peers, he’s seeing more kids who thought they were just smoking marijuana when drug screens showed fentanyl.The marijuana-fentanyl mixture cases are very recent. Overall, marijuana use among teens is up. Doctors say the general feeling is that since it’s sold in dispensaries, it’s safe to consume. But those people are not taking into consideration what others are doing with the drug after buying it from legal businesses.
Perhaps we should consider another “Just Say No” campaign in this country, and make sure that this time everyone is fully informed of the hazards associated with long-term marijuana use….especially on our young men who represent our future protectors and contributors.
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