Categories: Health

Marijuana increases the risk of schizophrenia in adolescents by eleven times

A teenager between the ages of twelve and 19 is eleven times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder at any time if they use cannabis, according to a University of Toronto study. The analysis was based on data from 11,000 people to … 33 years old, visited hospitals or clinics for mental health problems. Among the most common reasons for hospitalization was schizophrenia, with symptoms including delusions, hallucinations, social withdrawal and cognitive impairment.

The study, although it found an increased risk among teenagers, did not find it among people in “early adulthood” ages 20 to 33, highlighting one of the study’s findings. “Adolescence is a more sensitive risk period than adulthood for the impact of cannabis use on the development of psychotic disorders,” say the authors of the article “Association between Cannabis Use and the Risk of Psychotic Disorders by Age,” published in Psychological Medicine. ” at Cambridge University this Wednesday. “Adolescence is a vulnerable time for cannabis use,” they warn.

That’s not all. This connection is strengthened as the potency of cannabinoid products also increases. The “average potency” of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element of marijuana) has risen “from about 1% in 1980 to 20% in 2018,” explains the Canadian Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), which participated in the investigation. “The strong association between psychotic breaks and adolescence was markedly stronger than in previous studies, possibly reflecting the recent increase in the effectiveness of cannabis,” the study noted.

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