“If you are going to smoke marijuana, do it after age 25 to reduce the harm.”
Has it been proven that cannabis use can contribute to the onset of mental pathologies such as bipolar disorder or psychosis?
Yes, it’s been proven.
But what type of consumption?
The more I consume, the worse it gets. But this is the sum of two factors. One is cannabis and the concentration of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive substance of this drug), and the other is individual vulnerability. Just as everyone who smokes tobacco does not develop lung cancer, not everyone who smokes marijuana develops psychosis.
But are there high-risk groups?
Yes, there are people who are more prone to this because they have risk genes, family history. Genes that today you can already look at without having an exact mathematical formula for their prediction. We already know many of the genes responsible for bipolar disorder and psychosis in general. And the more these people consume, the more risk they are exposed to. We have conducted the most extensive research ever conducted into the negative and beneficial health effects of cannabis, which was published this summer in the British Medical Journal and which I will be presenting at this conference.
So, I would categorically not advise your patient with any of these pathologies to smoke this substance.
You shouldn’t smoke because we’ve also shown that if you already have psychosis, regardless of whether you’ve smoked before, cannabis use is associated with worse medication adherence, more relapses and more hospitalizations, and worse quality of treatment. life, with an even lower life expectancy. All these things have been proven, but it should also be said that this is a relative risk depending on each person. But you multiply that by two because while the risk of bipolar disorder in the general population is 2%, it is 4% among cannabis users.
Can psychosis or bipolar disorder be cured?
They have a cure, there is no cure in Medicine. If there is a mistake, we kill in case of infection; for those that we cannot, such as viruses, we either vaccinate or wait until they pass, and for those that are surgical, we simply remove them. Medicine almost never cures, but what it does do very well is eliminate pain and reduce mortality. Most diseases become chronic and tolerable.
In other words, a person suffering from these disorders must take medication for the rest of their life…
Yes, but if done correctly, many people will be able to lead completely normal, fulfilling and happy lives. But yes, he will have to come to terms with his illness. Treatment isn’t a judgment either, there’s a lot of stigma around it all. Psychosis is associated with Hitchcock, horror films, murder and crime, and it is terrible for people suffering from it.
Is it because it is one of the most serious mental disorders?
This is the most obvious sign that something is wrong with the brain, but it can also be treated. In immunology there are many diseases that cannot be treated, but in psychiatry almost everything can be treated.
Is psychosis easy to diagnose?
Yes, this is very easy to detect, since the person says things that are obviously false. And he believes them. He may even say that he is a messenger of God, come to save the world, or that he is the devil himself. You think wrong because your brain doesn’t work well and it makes you more distrustful. You start connecting the dots between things that have no connection. You may hear voices or see things that are not there.
Regarding the research on cannabis consumption that you mentioned, what are its health benefits?
Almost all of the positive aspects come from the part of cannabis that is not addictive, namely cannabidiol (CBD). It has several benefits, such as being an anticonvulsant and can improve the condition of people suffering from epilepsy. It has antispastic properties in some neurological diseases, reduces stiffness and muscle spasms, and also has analgesic properties.
Do you think the medical use of cannabis will be regulated?
Yes, this is the only thing that will be done because there are no provisions to regulate consumption, which is not punished in this country, only human trafficking. They’re only going to regulate its medical use, which seems like the right thing to me, as long as it’s done well.
What other problems can long-term cannabis use cause?
The most important thing is that this is associated with addiction, with the inability to quit smoking. But it is also due to a lack of motivation to do things, which people call slackness. It’s like taking a sedative every day, which isn’t ideal. Ideally, do not be under any influence unless strictly necessary due to illness.
He does not consider recreational use of this drug appropriate…
I don’t think anyone is in favor of banning consumption, but of regulating it. Just as alcohol cannot be sold to anyone under 18, cannabis cannot be sold to anyone under 25.
Because?
Because it causes addiction, loss of professional and intellectual performance, because it increases the risk of psychosis and other diseases…
Is the risk lower after 25?
The risk is lower, but that doesn’t mean you’ll start smoking (laughs). But if you’re going to do it, at least do it after 25 to reduce the damage.