Marijuana

[mr.willy]

Posted by: Sir Jeffrey
« on: Today at 06:06:35 PM » Insert Quote
Hmmm, no author, study name, URL address

http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/marijuana/marijuana3.html

[Sir Jeffrey]

 ::;: Mr. Willy

[Whoo]

I find any government study on the subject highly suspect.  If we can't get our national security intelligence right, I doubt they can get this right as well.  Who puts up the money for these studies?  It's not just that studies are ran, but who funds them as well.  I do mean besides being under the umbrella of the Dept. of Health... there's more behind them, people (like drug companies) who help underwrite the studies.

So, yesterday there were 48 arrests in Dallas before the Bedlam game.  Of those 48, only one arrest was for MJ possession.  The remainder were a result of drunken brawls.  Hmmmmm.

[mr.willy]

The case against legalizing marijuana in California

Edwin Meese III
is a former attorney general of the United States and chairman of the Heritage Foundation's Center for Legal and Judicial Studies

Charles Stimson

is a senior legal fellow at Heritage and author of Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No

Advocates of legalizing marijuana have been blowing a lot of smoke in the debate over California's Proposition 19.

For starters, there's the fiction that marijuana is no different from alcohol. Indeed, the difference in health effects is striking.

The benefits of moderate alcohol consumption - reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, gallstones, diabetes, and death from a heart attack - are well-documented. There's even evidence that alcohol helps keep the mind sharp as one ages.

No one has ever associated pot consumption with mental acuity. Quite the opposite: Marijuana use has been shown to impair memory and inhibit learning ability. Among students, marijuana use is strongly associated with lower test scores and lower educational attainment. Chemically, marijuana is more like "harder" drugs - cocaine, heroin, speed, and the psychedelics - than a glass of wine or a cocktail. One study found that extended use may even lead to psychosis.

There are physical effects, too. Lung researchers report that smoking a couple of joints does more damage than a whole pack of Marlboros, and contains toxic compounds like ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. For many, pot is addictive. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that more than 30 percent of pot smokers were dependent on the drug to the point of demonstrating signs of withdrawal and compulsive behavior. Reports from drug-abuse help lines and treatment facilities show that marijuana addiction is a major problem.

Negative social effects abound as well. Take crime. Amsterdam shows what happens when marijuana is available, legally and in abundance. Amsterdam is one of Europe's most violent cities, and Dutch officials pin the blame on their liberal drug policies. A report by four government ministries finds that drug-related crime places a heavy burden on local authorities and that criminal organizations are increasingly muscling their way into the drug market, using it as a base for international operations.

As California debates legalization, Dutch officials are retooling their laws and shutting down marijuana dispensaries "to tackle the nuisance associated with them and manage crime risks more effectively."

Legalization hasn't helped the Dutch keep marijuana from minors either. Marijuana use is higher among children there than anywhere else in Europe.

Legalization also alters social norms. More Dutch children smoke pot because the social stigma against it has dissipated. The same thing will happen in California if Prop 19 is passed next month.

Prop 19 pushers argue that by taxing and regulating marijuana, the state will reap a tax windfall. But the act would let every landowner grow enough marijuana to produce 24,000 to 240,000 joints a year for "personal consumption." Who would pay the $50-per-ounce tax on marijuana (a 100 percent tax) when he could grow it himself or buy some (illegally) from a neighbor.

Regular tobacco does not carry its economic weight. In 2007, the government collected $25 billion in tobacco taxes but spent more than $200 billion per year to cover health and other tobacco-related costs. It is the same with alcohol: In 2007, governments collected $14 billion in alcohol taxes but spent $185 billion to cover health, crime, and other alcohol-related costs. The economics of legalized marijuana will be no different, and perhaps worse.

Then there are the practical problems of Prop 19. Homeowners growing pot in their backyards will become targets for pot thieves and attendant crime, just as areas immediately around medical-marijuana dispensaries have already experienced an uptick in crime. And there remains the very real fact that possession, cultivation, and consumption of marijuana are still crimes under federal law - an inconvenient truth the act simply ignores. What are federal law enforcement officers to do?

Legalizing marijuana would serve little purpose other than to worsen the state's drug problems - addiction, violence, disorder, and death. Nor will such legalization produce a tax windfall for the state; rather, it will end up costing Californians billions in increased social costs.

Sound public policy should be based on facts, not smoke.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20101003_The_case_against_legalizing_marijuana_in_California.html

[hammondjam]

Mr. Willy, I suspect that you know nothing about marijuana except for what you're told by souces such as Mr. Stimpson.  If pot were addictive, I would be addicted now. I am not. Actually, Dr. Pepper is physically addictive but we don't hear of any groups crying about that, do we?

If a side effect of pot were violence, Willie Nelson concerts would be a bloodbath.

As far as mental accuity goes...have you met my wife? She wizzed through college classes to the point that there were professors asking that she take their class. She was a regular smoker at the time.

The health argument against is also false. There are a number of reports from independant labs showing a reversal in some forms of cancer after the patient smoked or ate pot. My wife was supposed to die in the early nineties from breast cancer. She opted out of the normal regimen of chemo and radiation and instead chose to go home to the east coast. We took a bag of pot with us and we lived by the ocean for three months. When we returned from there, she was cancer free and NOT DEAD.

Children are a totally different story. I in no way condone children smoking pot EXCEPT for rare medical conditions. Minds are developing and need nothing that may modify or mutate their ability to think and retain knowledge. I DID know of a boy back in high school that had a neurological problem that caused him to shake uncontrollably making writing and speech VERY difficult. If he had a couple of puffs off a marijuana "joint", he would stop shaking for a while but still be able to function in school. The last that I heard of him, he was given a prescribed medication for the problem that caused


The big difference between the supporters of pot legalization and the opponents is that the supporters don't mind at all if you don't want to smoke. Many opponents can't claim that.  They're totally alright with a person losing everything and going to prison for possession.

One last thing...if you know of a stereotypical pothead that just wastes their life getting high, they would be a slacker anyway with whatever they can get their hands on be it alchohol, chemicals or daytime television. Some people are just lazy.

[Mr T]

The Heritage Foundation??? ::D:  Edwin Meese??? ::D:

Tell me why marijuana is illegal.  Then maybe we can talk about stuff.

[mr.willy]

Mr. Willy, I suspect that you know nothing about marijuana

Hammondjam i had a nephew that committed suicide at the age of 30 and a niece that attempted the same thing twice,also in another two weeks another niece  gets out of prison and all of these problems came from the use of  marijuana.

so  hammondjam i think that i do know some FACTS about marijuana and i challenge you to prove that all these health argument against  is also false, where do you get your information, i haven't seen any yet, :)

[hammondjam]

Of course you know something but what you're going on is the same tired old myths that opponents have been using for decades. If you look hard enough, there will be something about marijuana causing black men to want white women. Believe me, I've seen it in print. 

I will say that in almost 37 years of using the plant, I've NEVER seen a person become suicidally depressed from it. I HAVE seen peope emotionally on the skids that used it and calmed down enough to function. I can see where it might NOT be good for some cases of emotional or mental illness since it may react negatively with medications but the illness exists seperate from the use. As far as incarceration goes, if the laws were the way I want them, your niece wouldn't have even been arrested.

I want it legal for people like me to purchase and use a substance that brings me happiness. BTW, I've been to a doctor twice in twenty years and it was for work related lacerations both times AND I passed the urine test! No lung ailments here!

I AM NOT saying that EVERYBODY should use it. I think wine should remain legal although I rarely drink it. I don't see a reason for energy drinks but I'm not calling for users and distributors to be incarcerated for it. They artificially stimulate the mind and body so what is the difference.

We have several pages of stats showing the pros of marijuana use and the debunking of health threat BS but in my experiences arguing with people set in their opinion, it does nothing except waste my time and yours. BTW, since I KNOW that much of your proof is false, I can only say that you've failed to show me credible evidence that marijuana is all things bad. Not all experts ARE!

The opponents that so vehomently hate the idea of legalization should be warned that more and more states are seeing the financial upside to legalizing this substance for medical use. It won't be long before the veil is torn off and everybody will see that all the fuss is just a carefully constructed plan to get rid of corporate competition and to keep law enforcement budgets full of money.  Make a monster, promote it well and THEY will believe it.   :8):

[mr.willy]

Evidence has recently emerged that some people's genetic make-up, or family history, may
predispose them to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of marijuana on mental health,
specifically schizophrenia
Genetic Predisposition/VulneraBility
• A 2006 review of six longitudinal studies
in five countries found that cannabis use
precipitates schizophrenia in individuals
who are vulnerable because of a personal
or family history of schizophrenia.
(Degenhardt, 2006)
• A major study out of the Netherlands
concluded that use of the drug
"moderately increases" the risk of
psychotic symptoms in young people
but has "a much stronger effect" in
those with evidence of predisposition.
(van Os, 2005)
• A study published in Biological Psychiatry
found that as many as one in four people
may have a genetic profile that makes
marijuana five times more likely to trigger
psychotic disorders. (Caspi, 2005)
5
Beautrais, AL et al. Cannabis use and serious suicide attempts. Addiction, 94:1155-1164, 1999.
This study examined the relationship between cannabis abuse/dependence and risk of medically serious
suicide attempts among 302 individuals attempting suicide and 1,028 random controls and found that
marijuana use may be connected to the risk of a serious suicide attempt.
Bovasso, GB. Cannabis abuse as a risk factor for depressive symptoms. The American Journal of
Psychiatry, 158:2033-2037, 2001.
This study sought to estimate the degree to which cannabis abuse is a risk factor for depressive
symptoms rather than an effort to self-medicate. Over a 14- to 16-year period, the study found that
people who were not depressed and used marijuana at the beginning of the study were four times
more likely to suffer from depression at follow up. Those who were depressed but did not use
marijuana at the beginning of the study were no more likely to use it at follow up.
Brook, JS et al. The effect of early marijuana use on later anxiety and depressive symptoms. NYS
Psychologist: 35-40, 2001.
This longitudinal study of 2,226 Colombian adolescents found a clear connection between marijuana
use and elevated levels of anxiety and depression. Marijuana use, especially during early adolescence,
can predict late adolescent distress.
Brook, DW et al. Drug use and the risk of major depressive disorder, alcohol dependence, and
substance use disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 59:1039-1044, 2002.
This longitudinal research of comorbid disorders found that early marijuana use during childhood
and adolescence increased the risk of major depression 17 percent. This study called attention to the
importance of the psychiatric implications of early drug use.
Fergusson, DM et al. Cannabis use and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence and young
adulthood. Addiction 97:1123-1135, 2002.
This study of 1,265 New Zealand children over a 21-year period found that marijuana use, particularly
heavy or regular use, was associated with later increases in depression, suicidal thought, and
suicide attempts.
Greenblatt, J. Adolescent self-reported behaviors and their association with marijuana use.
Based on data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1994-1996, SAMSHA, 1998.
This research shows that kids age 12 to 17 who smoke marijuana weekly are three times more likely
than non-users to have thoughts about committing suicide.
BiBLIOGRAPHY OF RECENT DEpression and SuICIDE RESEARCH
6
Hayatbakhsh, MR et al. Cannabis and anxiety and depression in young adults: a large
prospective study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
46(3):408-17, 2007.
This study followed 3,239 Australian young adults from birth to age 21 and found a relationship
between early initiation (before age 15) and frequent use of cannabis and symptoms of anxiety and
depression regardless of a family or personal history of mental illness. This study found that frequent
cannabis use is associated with increased anxiety and depression in young adults independent of
whether the person also uses other illicit drugs.
Lynskey, M et al. Major depressive disorder, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt in twins
discordant for cannabis dependence and early-onset cannabis use. Archives of General
Psychiatry, 61:1026-1032, 2004.
This study looked at 600 same-sex twins, one of whom was dependent upon marijuana and one of
whom was not. It found that the twin who was dependent on marijuana was almost three times more
likely to think about suicide and attempt suicide than his/her non-marijuana dependent co-twin. Additionally,
cannabis dependence was associated with higher risk of major depressive disorder in fraternal
but not in identical twins.
Maharajh, HD et al. Cannabis and suicidal behaviour among adolescents: a pilot study from
Trinidad. The Scientific World Journal, 5:576-85, 2005.
This study found that depressive and psychotic experiences were common in adolescent cannabis users.
The findings suggest that there is a convincing relationship between suicidal behavior and cannabis
use, the latter awakening depressive experiences.
Patton, GC et al. Cannabis use and mental health in young people: cohort study. British Medical
Journal, 325:1195-1198, 2002.
In this study, daily use of marijuana among girls increased the risk of depression five times. Weekly or
more frequent marijuana use in teenagers doubled the risk of depression and anxiety.
Ramstrom, J. Adverse Health Consequences of Cannabis Use: A survey of scientific studies published
up to and including the autumn of 2003. National Institute of Public Health, Sweden, 2004.
This is an extensive literature review of studies conducted worldwide on the detrimental effects of
marijuana. It is an update of a review initially published in 1996 and covers studies through the fall of
2003. It finds a link between marijuana and depression and suicidal tendencies. The author points out
that there is a growing body of evidence to support the claim that cannabis can provoke schizophrenia.
7
Raphael, B et al. Comorbidity: cannabis and complexity. Journal of Psychiatric Practice,
11(3):161-76, 2005.
This article demonstrates strong support for a link between cannabis and the development and
exacerbation of psychosis and other mental health conditions, particularly anxiety and depression.
Mental Health Council of Australia, Where there's smoke ... Cannabis and Mental Health.
MHCA, 2006.
This report from the Mental Health Council of Australia, which is an analysis of years of research on
marijuana and mental health, concludes that there does seem to be a link between early and regular
cannabis use and later depression.
8
Andreasson, S et al. Cannabis and schizophrenia: A longitudinal study of Swedish conscripts.
Lancet, 26:1483-1486, 1987.
This groundbreaking study of 45,000 Swedish male conscripts (representing 97 percent of men age
18-20 in the population at that time) and a 15-year follow up found that heavy use of marijuana at
age 18 increased the risk of schizophrenia later in life by six times. This research demonstrated that
cannabis use is an independent risk factor for schizophrenia, regardless of other psychiatric illness or
social background.
Barnes, TR et al. Comorbid substance use and age at onset of schizophrenia. The British Journal
of Psychiatry, 188:237-42, 2006.
This study focuses on the strong association between cannabis use and earlier onset of psychosis. The
study provides further evidence that schizophrenia may be precipitated by cannabis use and/or that the
early onset of symptoms is a risk factor for cannabis use.
Zammit, S et al. Self-reported cannabis use as a risk factor for schizophrenia in Swedish
conscripts of 1969: historical cohort study. British Medical Journal, 325:1199-1201, 2002.
This report, a re-analysis of the Andreasson research (above), found that heavy marijuana users were
6.7 times more likely than non-users to be diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life. This was true for
those who used marijuana only, as opposed to other drugs. The authors concluded that the findings are
consistent with a causal relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia and that self-medication
with cannabis was an unlikely explanation for the association observed.
Arseneault L, et al. Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal
prospective study. British Medical Journal, 325:1212-1213, 2002.
This longitudinal study agreed with the Andreasson results (above) and added new evidence: there is
an increased risk of developing schizophrenia as a result of marijuana use, even among people with no
prior history of a disorder, and that the earlier the use of marijuana (age 15 vs. age 18), the greater the
risk of schizophrenia.
Arsenault L, et al. Causal association between cannabis and psychosis: examination of the
evidence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 184:110-117, 2004.
This review of five studies from the United States, Europe, and Australia found that all available
population-based studies have concluded that cannabis use is associated with later schizophrenia
outcomes and that cannabis use is a component cause of a variety of factors that lead to onset
of schizophrenia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RECENT SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH
9
Caspi A, et al. Moderation of the effect of adolescent-onset cannabis use on adult psychosis by
a functional polymorphism in the catechol-o-methyltransferase gene: Longitudinal evidence of a
gene X environment interaction. Biological Psychiatry (Article in press).
This study found that people with a certain genetic profile are five times more susceptible to psychotic
disorders as a result of regular marijuana use than those without the profile.
Curtis, L et al. Cannabis and psychosis. Revue Médicale Suisse, 2(79):2099-100, 2102-3, 2006.
This article discusses links between psychotic patients using cannabis and the negative effects of use,
as well as the growing evidence that cannabis may cause psychosis in healthy individuals. It adds that
many studies show a robust and consistent association between cannabis consumption and the later
development of psychosis.
Dean, B et al. Studies on [3H]CP-55940 binding in the human central nervous system: regional
specific changes in density of cannabinoid-1 receptors associated with schizophrenia and
cannabis use. Neuroscience, 103:9-15, 2001.
This study presented the first direct evidence that people with a predisposition for schizophrenia or
other mental disorders are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of marijuana on mental health.
It showed that marijuana affects parts of the brain that are very closely related to those that may be
responsible for schizophrenia.
Degenhardt, L et al. Is cannabis use a contributory cause of psychosis? Canadian Journal of
Psychiatry, 51(9):556-65, 2006.
This review of six longitudinal studies in five countries found that it is plausible that among adolescents
and young adults cannabis use precipitates schizophrenia in individuals who are vulnerable because of
a personal or family history of schizophrenia.
Drewe, M et al. Cannabis and risk of psychosis. Swiss Medical Weekly, 134:659-663, 2004.
This literature review concludes that marijuana use is connected with schizophrenia and depression
and drew the following conclusions: Cannabis consumption affects dopamine concentrations in the
brain and can induce or modulate the development of psychotic symptoms, including schizophrenia,
and that young age of cannabis use is an additional risk factor for psychosis. Cannabis consumption
can also lead to other psychiatric disorders, including depression and cognitive disturbances.
Ferdinand, RF et al. Cannabis--psychosis pathway independent of other types of
psychopathology. Schizophrenia Research, 79(2-3):289-95, 2005.
This study finds that the link between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms is independent of the
earlier presence of other types of psychological disorders. The study states that cannabis use seems to
be a specific risk factor for future psychotic symptoms in vulnerable individuals.
10
Fergusson, DM et al. Cannabis dependence and psychotic symptoms in young people.
Psychological Medicine, 33:15-21, 2003.
This 21-year longitudinal study found that heavy use of marijuana may lead to increased rates of
psychotic symptoms in young people even when pre-existing symptoms and other background factors
are taken into account. The authors say that heavy cannabis use may make a causal contribution to the
development of symptoms.
Fergusson, DM et al. Tests of causal linkages between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms.
Addiction, 100, 3:354-366, 2005.
This is one of the most recent pieces of research on the possible causal linkages between cannabis
use and psychosis, using data gathered over a 25-year longitudinal study. Results suggest that regular
use of marijuana may double the risk of developing psychotic symptoms and that marijuana causes
chemical changes to the brain. The study maintains that smoking marijuana causes psychosis even
when other factors are taken into consideration.
Hall, W. Is cannabis use psychotogenic? Lancet, 367(9506):193-5, 2006.
This article states that four of five recent reviews on cannabis and psychosis conclude that cannabis
use directly contributes to psychosis. Hall states that it seems most likely that cannabis exacerbates
psychotic disorders in individuals who have a family history of psychosis.
Hall, W. The mental health risks of adolescent cannabis use. Public Library of Science Medicine,
3(2):e39, 2006.
The paper states that vulnerable adolescents who use cannabis more often than weekly, most likely
increase their risk of experiencing psychotic symptoms and developing psychosis.
Henquet, C et al. The environment and schizophrenia: the role of cannabis use. Schizophrenia
Bulletin, 31(3):608-12, 2005.
This meta-analysis discusses the link between cannabis use and an increased probability of psychotic
episodes with individuals who have a preexisting liability. The findings suggest that cannabis is a
component cause in the development and prognosis of psychosis.
Kumra, S. Schizophrenia and cannabis use. Minnesota Medicine, 90(1):36-8, 2007.
This article discusses new brain-scanning techniques that have identified abnormalities in
schizophrenics. The author concludes that you would find the same abnormalities in frequent
adolescent cannabis users similar to those of adolescents with schizophrenia. These defects are in
a part of the brain still developing during adolescence and associated with emotion and other higher
cognitive functions such as language, perception, creativity, and problem-solving.
11
Mattick, RP et al. Cannabis and psychosis put in perspective. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,
51(9):554-5, 2006.
This literature review of the relation between cannabis use and psychosis found that if an individual is
prone to serious psychotic illness, the use of cannabis may trigger an episode.
Moore, T et al. Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a
systemic review. The Lancet, Vol. 370: 319-328, 2007.
This qualitative review of 35 longitudinal studies found that marijuana use increases the risk of
developing a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, by 40 percent, compared to non-users. This risk
is doubled for frequent or heavy marijuana users, compared to non-users. The authors conclude that
"there is now sufficient evidence to warn young people that using cannabis could increase their risk of
developing a psychotic illness later in life."
O'Brien, S et al. Mental health and adolescent cannabis use. National Drug and Alcohol Research
Centre, University of New South Wales for the New South Wales Department of Education and
Training, 2005.
This Australian government study concludes that evidence increasingly suggests regular cannabis use
is a risk-factor for psychological problems in adolescents who are at risk for other reasons before they
use cannabis.
Rey, J. Does marijuana contribute to psychotic illness? Current Psychiatry, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2007.
This review found growing evidence that marijuana use can cause acute psychosis, as well as
increasing the likelihood of an early, first schizophrenic episode. It also concludes that marijuana use
would worsen the prognosis of patients with psychotic disorders.
Rey, J and Tennant, C. Cannabis and mental health: more evidence establishes a clear link
between use of cannabis and psychiatric illness. (Editorial). British Medical Journal, 325:1183-
1184, 2002.
This editorial examines the growing body of scientific evidence supporting the link between marijuana
use and mental illness. The findings strengthen the argument that cannabis use increases the risk of
schizophrenia and depression, and they provide little support for the belief that the association between
marijuana use and mental health problems is largely due to self-medication.
Rey, J et al. Is the party over? Cannabis and juvenile psychiatric disorder: The past 10 Years.
Journal of the Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43:1194-1205, October 2004.
This review of literature from the past decade concludes that the weight of the evidence points to
regular and early marijuana use associated with later increases in depression, suicidal behavior, and
schizophrenia.
12
Semple, D et al. Cannabis as a risk factor for psychosis: systematic review. Journal of
Psychopharmacology, 19:187-194, 2005.
This is a literature review of studies published between 1966 and 2004 examining marijuana as
an independent risk factor for schizophrenia, psychosis or psychotic symptoms. It concludes that
the available evidence supports the hypothesis that cannabis is an independent risk factor, both for
psychosis and the development of psychotic symptoms.
Smit, F et al. Cannabis use and the risk of later schizophrenia; a review. Addiction 99 (4):425-
431, 2004.
This review of five major studies concludes that marijuana use appears to act as a risk factor in the
onset of schizophrenia. This is especially true for people vulnerable to schizophrenia but is also true for
people without a prior history of mental problems. It dismisses the hypothesis that using marijuana is
self-medicating and points to a causal link.
Solowij, N et al. Cannabis and cognitive dysfunction: parallels with endophenotypes of
schizophrenia? Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 32(1):30-52, 2007.
This review paper found that the same areas of the brain that show cognitive dysfunction, or problems
in thinking and reasoning, are similar among heavy or long-term marijuana users and schizophrenics.
The authors point to the multitude of evidence of the potential for cannabis use to trigger onset of
psychosis in vulnerable individuals, and the exacerbation of problems in schizophrenic patients.
Stefanis, NC et al. Early adolescent cannabis exposure and positive and negative dimensions of
psychosis. Addiction, 99:1333-1341, 2004.
This study of 3,500 19-year-olds in Greece found that marijuana use, especially at a young age,
contributes to psychotic symptoms. It reports that there are very high risks in individuals using in early
adolescence, particularly below age 16.
van Os, J et al. Prospective cohort study of cannabis use, predisposition for psychosis, and
psychotic symptoms in young people. British Medical Journal, 330:11-, 2005.
This analysis of 2,437 young people found that marijuana use moderately increases the risk of
psychotic symptoms. The risk for those with a predisposition for psychosis was much higher.
van Os, J et al. Cannabis use and psychosis: a longitudinal population-based study. American
Journal of Epidemiology, 156:319-327, 2002.
The research confirms previous suggestions that cannabis use increases the risk of psychotic disorders
in people without a predisposition, and a poor prognosis for those with an established vulnerability.
Veen, N et al. Cannabis use and age at onset of schizophrenia. The American Journal of
Psychiatry, 161:501-506, 2004.
This study found that men with a history of marijuana use experienced their first psychotic episode at a
significantly younger age than those with no such history.
13
Verdoux, H et al. Effects of cannabis and psychosis vulnerability in daily life: an experience
sampling test study. Psychological Medicine, 33:23-32, 2003.
This study of undergraduate students in France refutes the idea that people with psychotic symptoms
self-medicate with marijuana. It found that people who are vulnerable to psychosis are more
susceptible to the detrimental effects of marijuana than those without a predisposition. The authors
conclude that "The public health impact of the widespread use of cannabis may be considerable."
Mental Health Council of Australia. Where there's smoke ... Cannabis and Mental Health.
MHCA, 2006.
The study concludes that there is consistent evidence from several large and well-designed
longitudinal studies that cannabis precipitates schizophrenia in people who are vulnerable
because of a personal or family history of schizophrenia.

http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/MARIJUANA_AND_MENTAL.pdf

We have several pages of stats showing the pros of marijuana use and the debunking of health threat BS

If you have them where are they, post them  ;D

[Mr T]

I sure saw the words adolescents, teenagers and predisposed/family history a lot in those summations.  We are not discussing adolescents or teenagers.

Psychiatrists and the government have a vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal so I can't trust those sources, sorry.

[Mr T]

So, why is marijuana illegal?

[mr.willy]

Psychiatrists and the government have a vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal so I can't trust those sources, sorry.

We have several pages of stats showing the pros of marijuana use and the debunking of health threat BS

If you have them where are they, post them   ;D

I'M STILL WAITING

[Mr T]

I believe I asked you first. :smile:

[Terry]

Willy supports tobacco companys by smoking 3 packs/day, but he puts down marijuana what a hyocrite - [
person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess
    Marijuana has never in my experiences caused any problems (( LIKE )) alcohol, drugs, 'anger', mental problems {willys' family}, greed, covetous, jealousyyyyyy & "SO" ooooooooooon!
    It does give 'me' the  "munchies" like crazy!!  *&*, it taste soooooooooo! good!

[Terry]

   
Willy enjoying his " favorite " addictive " drug!!!!