Marijuana and psychosis

[stfrequency]

Very interesting research into the link between THC and mental illness...

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=brain-scans-pinpoint-cann&chanId=sa003&modsrc=reuters

April 30, 2007
Brain scans pinpoint cannabis health risk

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON (Reuters) - Brain scans showing how cannabis affects brain function may help explain why heavy consumption of the drug triggers psychosis and schizophrenia in a small number of people, scientists said on Monday.

Psychiatrists are increasingly concerned about the mental health impact of smoking large amounts of modern super-strength marijuana, or skunk, particularly among young people.

Until now, the mechanism by which cannabis works on the brain has been a mystery but modern scanning techniques mean experts can now detect its impact on brain activity.

Professor Philip McGuire and Zerrin Atakan of London's Institute of Psychiatry said their work using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, showed patients given the active cannabis compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) had reduced function in the inferior frontal cortex brain region.

This area is associated with controlling inappropriate emotional and behavioral responses to situations.

"What THC seems to be doing is switching off that part of the brain, and that was associated with how paranoid people became," McGuire told reporters.

Their research will be presented at a two-day International Cannabis and Mental Health Conference at the Institute of Psychiatry this week.

Similar findings from other teams also highlight the link between THC dose and the risk of schizophrenia-like symptoms, conference organizer Professor Robin Murray said.

"It's no longer a contentious issue. The expert community, by and large, accepts that cannabis contributes to the onset of psychotic symptoms in general and the severe form of psychosis, schizophrenia," he said.

DOUBLE-STRENGTH JOINTS

One reason for the growing problem is thought to be the increasing strength of modern strains of cannabis, which are cultivated to produce the maximum amount of THC.

In recent years, the average THC content of marijuana sold in Britain has doubled to 12 percent from around 6 percent, while in the Netherlands it is about 18 percent, Murray said.

Most users of cannabis still do not have a problem with the drug but a minority, possibly because of genetic factors, are vulnerable to long-term damage from modern skunk -- which Murray says is to old-fashioned dope what whisky is to lager.

The rise in THC content is linked with a decline in another active ingredient called cannabidiol (CBD), since the two products compete biochemically inside the cannabis plant.

CBD, which reduces anxiety but does not produce the euphoric high of THC, may help offset some of the paranoid feelings.

Markus Leweke of Cologne University said a clinical trial involving 42 patients showed CBD was as effective as the established medicine amisulpride, sold as Solian by Sanofi-Aventis, in treating patients with psychosis.

"It seems there are good guys and bad guys within cannabis," Leweke said.

[sidecross]

I have been using cannabis for over 42 years and the differences between the newer crops are I use half as much to achieve what I did in ’65.

Any percentage of a population will become psychotic and schizophrenic. This article sound like a drug scare; cannabis has very long track record with out causing harm to the majority of us who have a minimal amount of insanity.
;)

[stfrequency]

"Most users of cannabis still do not have a problem with the drug but a minority, possibly because of genetic factors, are vulnerable to long-term damage from modern skunk"

"It's no longer a contentious issue. The expert community, by and large, accepts that cannabis contributes to the onset of psychotic symptoms in general and the severe form of psychosis, schizophrenia," he said."

Doesn't sound too inflated, really... Seems like they're suggesting that, in that predisposed minority, there is evidence that THC might trigger or accelerate mental issues. This is commonly accepted knowledge in relation to psychedelic use, and the new crop of bud can certainly approach psychedelic effects at times... OTOH, I'm sure this research will be spotlighted unfairly in War on Drugs literature in the very near future.

*shrug*... I quit smoking pot years ago because it began to make me uncomfortably anxious. This is after a long period of daily use. I've spoken with lots of others who quit similarly, after developing anxiety issues with the intoxication -- a trend that's always intrigued me. If CBD does lessen anxiety, the rising/conflicting THC levels in today's dope could explain this.

;)
st

[reluctantshaman]

This is my first post, so hello all.

This modern concern with the strength of the contained THC in the newer strains is actually quite silly.

Due to the most common way of taking cannabis, i.e. smoking, the increase in strength is actually a good thing.

Usually, cannabis will be smoked until you are stoned. You don't always smoke 0.1g, or 0.5 gram, rather you will smoke to achieve a certain state.
With higher THC concentrations it means that less material is actually consumed to get stoned, mitigating a little the secondary carciogenic risks and similar sideffects.

thanks

reluctant shaman

[sidecross]

This is my first post, so hello all.

This modern concern with the strength of the contained THC in the newer strains is actually quite silly.

Due to the most common way of taking cannabis, i.e. smoking, the increase in strength is actually a good thing.

Usually, cannabis will be smoked until you are stoned. You don't always smoke 0.1g, or 0.5 gram, rather you will smoke to achieve a certain state.
With higher THC concentrations it means that less material is actually consumed to get stoned, mitigating a little the secondary carciogenic risks and similar sideffects.

thanks

reluctant shaman



I totally agree with this quote.

I would suggest that any ‘psychosis’ associated with the use of cannabis is the problem of the user and not cannabis.

If the government could make the claim that cannabis is the cause of ‘psychosis’ they would be advocating this claim endlessly.

People who have problems with cannabis obliviously should not use it, but the cause is within their own make up and not the plant.

[K.J]

*shrug*... I quit smoking pot years ago because it began to make me uncomfortably anxious. This is after a long period of daily use. I've spoken with lots of others who quit similarly, after developing anxiety issues with the intoxication -- a trend that's always intrigued me. If CBD does lessen anxiety, the rising/conflicting THC levels in today's dope could explain this.


Cannabis can control pre-existing problems with anxiety quite well, but not when the strain has too much THC in it, which unfortunately is common with so much of the high-grade street cannabis out there. Strains higher in CBD content are much better at controlling anxiety, but it is difficult to find the right strain outside of medical cannabis shops anymore.

[sidecross]

Well cultivated cannabis is just that; cultivation does not change the plant’s DNA.

I use a vaporizer with my use of cannabis and have been using this plant since ’65 when the cost was $10 for a ‘lid’ or an ounce.

The only change I have noticed is most of today’s cannabis come with no seeds and the needed effect requires less use of the plant.

Like any food or substance not everyone will have the same reactions, but this has more to do with the individual than the food or substance.

[K.J]

Well cultivated cannabis is just that; cultivation does not change the plant’s DNA.

I use a vaporizer with my use of cannabis and have been using this plant since ’65 when the cost was $10 for a ‘lid’ or an ounce.

The only change I have noticed is most of today’s cannabis come with no seeds and the needed effect requires less use of the plant.

Like any food or substance not everyone will have the same reactions, but this has more to do with the individual than the food or substance.

It seems from the post above that you know little about the ability to alter a plants genetics by breeding, cross-breeding, and more breeding in order to tease out specific traits (such as higher/lower THC, higher/lower CBD, etc.). Much of what has been tested at the street level between the 60's and the 80's clocked in at an average THC content of about 8%. Nowdays, with proper cultivation and breeding technique, strains as high as 30% THC have been reported.

So, to point out the obvious, there are many other factors at play than simply "individual reaction", some of them directly related to genetics of the specific strain in question. There are over 60 known cannabinoids present in cannabis, the two more important ones being THC and CBD, and the effect they have on the user is in direct relation to the variety and concentrations of the cannabinoids present in any given strain. Cannabis is a much more complicated plant than most people imagine. Pick up a good book on the science and genetics of cannabis and you'll be amazed.

[sidecross]

I am quite aware of how the strength of THC & CBD can be tweaked; the point I am trying to make is that you can not genetically alter a plant into something it is not.

Any substance taken by a human has two components; the first is the substance itself and the second is the bio chemical environment of a particular individual.

To emphasize only one to the dismissal of the other is disingenuous.

[sidecross]

“There is undoubtedly some strong cannabis available these days, but there always has been. It's reasonable The report makes it clear that the data is somewhat unreliable and it's therefore difficult to draw firm conclusions, but it accepts there has always been strong cannabis which can compare to today's offerings. It makes the point that home grown is going to be fresher and thus stronger (cannabis to suppose that, because it's fresher there will be a higher proportion of stronger samples (= better quality), but overall there is no evidence to support the claims of a massive increase in strength.”


http://www.ukcia.org/library/skunk_strength.php

[K.J]

I am quite aware of how the strength of THC & CBD can be tweaked; the point I am trying to make is that you can not genetically alter a plant into something it is not.


Sure you can. Cannabis in its natural environment would be highly unlikely to produce THC levels of 30% and more. It is human manipulation of the plant via genetics and cultivation technique which makes that possible.

Also, we can manipulate the contents of a beneficial and even medicinal plant to produce an end product that is evil, destructive and harmful; such as the case of coca.


Any substance taken by a human has two components; the first is the substance itself and the second is the bio chemical environment of a particular individual.

To emphasize only one to the dismissal of the other is disingenuous.

We definitely agree on this. Although, I wasn't attempting to highlight one over the other, but you seemed to be doing so by making it sound as if the "individual response" was the overriding factor.

[reluctantshaman]

I found the article again I had my information from (amongst others).

http://www.alternet.org/story/19416/

The 'Potent Pot' Myth

Recently, the media have repeated dire warnings about alleged "super pot." In an attempt to frighten parents who may have dabbled in their day, our government claims that new strains of potent marijuana are far more dangerous than the innocuous grass of the 1960s or '70s.

Many media reports repeat these claims uncritically. For example, a July 19 Reuters story warned, "Pot is no longer the gentle weed of the 1960s and may pose a greater threat than cocaine or even heroin."

Such claims are utter nonsense, and may create more harm than good.
....
....

Alternet generally do good drugs coverage

http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/all/?act=list&pos=1

Another interesting article is http://www.counterpunch.org/gardner10232006.html

What Have California Doctors Learned About Cannabis?

It has been 10 years since California voters enacted Proposition 215, making it legal to grow and use cannabis, with a doctor's approval, for medical purposes. Prop 215 didn't create a record-keeping system because the authors didn't trust the government and didn't want to generate a master list of cannabis users. So, over the course of the past decade, a vast public health experiment has been conducted in California but no state agency has been tracking doctors who approve cannabis use or patients who medicate with it.
...
...

It's a good read, so I recommend it.

thanks

reluctant shaman

[sidecross]

I agree with reluctantshaman that alternet.org is an excellent source of information.

As I have tried to explain I have not found the potency or effect of cannabis has changed to a significant degree in the last 42 years of personal use.

It is my view that the ‘potency’ issue has been used by anti-drug proponents to scare the public and it has been used by the producers of cannabis as a marketing ploy to raise the price of cannabis.

As I have stated before in ’65 an ounce of cannabis was $10.00; the dealer was usually selling the cannabis to pay only for his costs and his free use. That was the only concern as a ‘profit’.

[K.J]

I agree with reluctantshaman that alternet.org is an excellent source of information.

As I have tried to explain I have not found the potency or effect of cannabis has changed to a significant degree in the last 42 years of personal use.

It is my view that the ‘potency’ issue has been used by anti-drug proponents to scare the public and it has been used by the producers of cannabis as a marketing ploy to raise the price of cannabis.


I too read Alternet quite a bit and have read both of the articles cited. Although in general I do agree that most of the cannabis available on the black market hasn't really changed much in the past decades in terms of potency, the ability to grow very potent cannabis has increased. It's just that most of the high potency stuff isn't commonly found on the black market; it's found either in the gardens of private growers who keep it for personal use and friends/family, medical cannabis clubs in California, or in Amsterdam which is most commonly grown for sale in the coffee shops there.

I do agree though that the prohibitionists are attempting to use the higher potency headline as a means to scare the sheeple, which is dishonest considering in most places it is difficult to get much higher potency cannabis than was available 40 years ago.

[Mars]

Brilliant. I'll be borrowing this, thank you very much.

[sidecross]

The Purple Brain: America's New Reefer Madness

By Marsha Rosenbaum and Paul Armentano, AlterNet

More than 70 years in the making, the long-awaited sequel to the notorious 1936 film, Reefer Madness has arrived. It's called The Purple Brain, and just like its unintentionally campy predecessor, its purpose is to frighten Americans about marijuana.

The particular target audience for the Feds' new production is the millions of parents who may have, without incident, experimented with marijuana in the 1970s, when they were about the same age as their children are today.

The plot is as follows: Sure, the pot you and your 40-something peers once enjoyed may have been innocuous, but that's only because it bears no resemblance to the super-potent weed of today-- strains with such foreboding names as "Train wreck," "AK-47," and "The Purple." As proclaimed by Drug Czar John Walters recently, "[W]e are no longer talking about the drug of the 1960s and 1970s -- this is [in computer parlance] Pot 2.0."

To top off this frightening message, unsubstantiated claims of "brain damage" resulting from the use of this super-pot are new buzzwords in today's Prevention circles.

If ever there was an attention-getting script for scaring the hell out of parents, this is it.

Fortunately, while the headlines are grabbing, the story lacks credibility.

Growers in the business of selling marijuana have always attached pet names to selected strains of pot. In the 1970s, popular varieties included "Acapulco Gold" and "Maui Wowie." Today, as in the past, most of these labels are little more than clever marketing gimmicks devised by producers and sellers to distinguish their particular product in a highly competitive marketplace.

While a handful of potent strains may be available in limited quantities today, these varieties compose only a minute percentage of the overall marketplace -- at a price tag that is cost-prohibitive to anyone but the most wealthy of aficionados. For others, marijuana remains essentially the same plant it has always been, with its relatively mild rise in average potency akin to the difference between beer and wine.

Unlike alcohol -- or even aspirin, -- today's marijuana still poses no risk of fatal overdose, regardless of the strength of its primary psychoactive ingredient, THC. Moreover, cannabis consumers readily distinguish between low and high potency marijuana and moderate their use accordingly.

Finally, despite claims that marijuana alters the brain, it is important to note that THC -- regardless of its potency -- is surprisingly non-toxic to the adult as well as the teenage brain. Recently scientists at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research reported that they could find "no ... evidence of cerebral atrophy or loss of white matter integrity" attributable to cannabis use in the brains of frequent adolescent marijuana users (compared to non-using controls) after performing MRI scans and other advanced imaging technology. Separate studies assessing the cognitive skills of long-term marijuana smokers have also reported no demonstrable deficits.

Of course, marijuana is an intoxicant that should be avoided until and unless an individual has reached an age of mental and physical maturity, and this might be well into his or her twenties.

But as we urge adolescents to abstain or at least delay, let's not forget the lessons we've learned after two decades of drug education that has failed to convince students to "just say no." When teens ultimately learn the truth, exaggerated campaigns like "The Purple Brain" do little more than create skepticism about anything adults tell them about drugs, not to mention fueling their natural curiosity.

What's really frightening is that when teens realize they've been deceived about marijuana, they tend to disregard warnings about the very real dangers of hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. It's this latter scenario that ultimately trumps The Purple Brain as the real horror show.

Marsha Rosenbaum is the Director of the San Francisco office of the Drug Policy Alliance and the author of Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs. Paul Armentano is the Senior Policy Analyst for NORML and the NORML Foundation in Washington, DC.


http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/54977/

[twaddler]

Cannabis can control pre-existing problems with anxiety quite well, but not when the strain has too much THC in it, which unfortunately is common with so much of the high-grade street cannabis out there. Strains higher in CBD content are much better at controlling anxiety, but it is difficult to find the right strain outside of medical cannabis shops anymore.

This is why I had to quit -- due to too much strong THC levels in the drug I would get, which would cause me anxiety. This is why I would LOVE to grow the plant myself that only contains "moderate" levels of THC to generate the effect that doesn't cause anxiety but relaxation like I loved the most. For obvious reasons, I don't grow my own. If I did it would be a pain and probably cause paranoia due to the legal status -- too uncomfortable for me to deal with.

Better yet, the government could REGULATE it and lower the THC levels AND make a ton of money off of it (tax) but that is only in my dreams.

[Isaiah Mpski]

THC levels are the reason the plant is so valuable medically.The plant has appx 150 THC like oils that can be called either light or heavy oils.
The heavy oils have a more opiate like effect while the light oils more amphetamine or cocaine.
This is why the drug is so addictive.
It can get you one way or the other.

I have always preached the industrial distilation of the hemp oil and distribution based on each fractionation and it's particular medical value.

There are probably 15 or so of the oels that are psychoactive,but when these are burned or acted on by the digestive system these probably increase 10 fold isometriclly.

In my own personal abuse of THC,I find it mentally anxiety releiving in that it is like the intial burst of consciouness coming back from insulin coma,of which I have endured over two hundred hours ala A Beautiful Mind.:(

[sidecross]

Let’s Talk About Marijuana

Published on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by The Seattle Times

by Kathleen Taylor

A college student loses his financial aid because of a youthful indiscretion. A woman coping with the ravages of ovarian cancer lives in fear of being arrested for using what best eases her suffering. Across town, a front door bursts open and police rush in to handcuff a man relaxing in his living room.

These events have one thing in common: marijuana. Whether it is being kicked out of college for a youthful mistake, being denied relief from pain as a cancer patient, or getting arrested for personal use in one’s home, marijuana laws have far-reaching consequences.

And these consequences are often totally disproportionate to whatever societal risk or danger marijuana use may pose.

So, can we talk?

I think we should. As a nation, we spend at least $7.5 billion annually enforcing our marijuana laws. In 2006, the latest year for which we have numbers, a record 830,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana - 89 percent of them simply for possessing it.

Our criminal-justice system wastes time and resources with these low-level marijuana-possession cases while half our violent crimes go unsolved. And those facing the judge are disproportionately African American and Latino.

A recent report to the Seattle City Council on Initiative 75 - which made the adult personal use of marijuana the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority - showed people of color are still far more likely to be arrested than whites, despite similar rates of marijuana use.

Unjust and uneven enforcement is just one of the ramifications of treating marijuana use as a criminal matter. Noted physician and pharmacologist John Morgan has said, “The most dangerous thing about marijuana is to be arrested for its possession or use.”

Indeed, the consequences of an arrest for even a small amount of marijuana can haunt someone for the rest of his or her life. We have met and heard from people who lost or were denied jobs, had their homes raided and their property seized, lost child-visitation rights, and had their medical marijuana confiscated.

Ironically, we’ve been down this path before. Prohibition didn’t stop people from drinking. Instead, it created gang warfare between bootleggers over the profits to be made. Sound familiar?

We realized Prohibition was creating a lot of new problems and solving few, if any, of the old ones. States now control alcohol sales and consumption. And our tax dollars are more effectively directed at regulation, public education and treatment for those whose use becomes problematic.

As parents, we want to shield our children from harm and reserve certain choices for when they are old enough to understand the risks and repercussions. Certainly, this is as true of marijuana as it is of alcohol and tobacco. But just as certainly, and as most teenagers will tell you, it is easier for them to buy marijuana than beer or cigarettes. Our marijuana laws don’t work. I know it. You know it. Scores of our neighbors know it.

But no one is talking. Most of us have our own ideas about what should be done, but this has to be a decision that we make as a community. Too much is riding on this issue not to have an honest, candid discussion. Please join us in the conversation.

Kathleen Taylor is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.

[brock]

This is why I had to quit -- due to too much strong THC levels in the drug I would get, which would cause me anxiety. This is why I would LOVE to grow the plant myself that only contains "moderate" levels of THC to generate the effect that doesn't cause anxiety but relaxation like I loved the most. For obvious reasons, I don't grow my own. If I did it would be a pain and probably cause paranoia due to the legal status -- too uncomfortable for me to deal with.

Better yet, the government could REGULATE it and lower the THC levels AND make a ton of money off of it (tax) but that is only in my dreams.
its not just about thc levels its abou tstrains indica or sativa and indicas tend to dominate my brain heavy and stony which can make me paranoid. sativas tend toward a lighter cerebral high i tend to like about a 70 or 80 sativa to 20 or30 %indica cross

[Isaiah Mpski]

To put your discoveries in a more scientific light.Cannibinols run the gamet in heavy and light oils.The light oils have a more amphetamine-coke high where the heavy oils are more opiate like.
There are several that are psychoactive and when you burn them you get an exponential effect.
Someday you will be able-according to the emotional needs of your day,go into a pharmacy and buy a cannibinol oil that will produce in you an effect as any pharmaceutical on the market.ie prozak,prolixin,and shit like that.

I have seen several overdoses of the cannibinols.None-other than some idiot taking a too big a hit and falling down-were fron smoking the herb.All were from consuming it orally.