Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Daily Use Of High-Potency Marijuana Can Increase Risk Of Developing Psychosis By Nearly Five Times
The Associated Press: Smoking Strong Pot Daily Raises Psychosis Risk, Study Finds
Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rates. The research adds to previous studies that have found links between marijuana and mental health problems, but still does not definitively pinpoint marijuana as the cause. (3/19)
NPR: More Evidence Links Marijuana Use And Psychosis
Several past studies have found that more frequent use of pot is associated with a higher risk of psychosis, that is, when someone loses touch with reality. Now a new study published Tuesday in the The Lancet Psychiatry shows that consuming pot on a daily basis and especially using high potency cannabis increases the odds of having a psychotic episode later. "This is more evidence that the link between cannabis and psychosis matters," says Krista M. Lisdahl, a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, who wasn't involved in the study. (Chatterjee, 3/19)
CNN: Using Cannabis Daily Or Using High Potency Weed Increases Your Risk Of Psychotic Disorder, Study Finds
"Psychotic disorder," precisely, is what was studied, said Dr. Marta Di Forti, lead author and a clinician scientist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London. "We are talking about people who meet diagnostic criteria [and] come to the attention of mental health services to receive treatment for psychosis. So they have to have symptoms of psychosis across the spectrum -- so hallucination, delusion -- that have lasted at least for a week." (Scutti, 3/19)
