A recent study from Canada has revealed a strong link between marijuana use among young people and psychosis, reigniting debate around the dangers of cannabis use as momentum continues to grow for legalization in the United States.
According to the study, which was conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the University of Toronto, and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, data from more than 11,000 youth revealed that young marijuana users (ages 12-24) are 11 times more likely to experience psychosis or develop a psychotic disorder than non-users.
Five of six adolescents in the study who sought treatment via hospitalization or emergency room visits for psychotic disorders self-reported pot use. While the researchers clarified that cannabis use does not automatically mean one will develop a psychotic disorder, there is a strong correlation between those who suffer from psychosis and marijuana use.
“The study is the first to show an age-dependent association between self-reported cannabis use and subsequent psychotic disorder diagnosis, which adds to a growing body of research on the mental health risks associated with cannabis,” CAMH said in a statement.
The increased potency of popular marijuana strains appears to be a major factor driving increased health risks. In the early 1990s, cannabis only contained five percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in marijuana. But since then, genetic modification has resulted in the THC content of the average plant skyrocketing by more than 300 percent.
“Modern-day cannabis is simply not the same as the plant used in the 1960s through the 1980s or even as recently as 10 years ago,” Carrie E. Bearden, a professor of psychiatry, recently wrote for Scientific American. “New strains of cannabis are highly potent, making them more addictive and potentially more dangerous.”
The CAMH study aims to educate people about the hazards of cannabis use, especially as the stuff becomes more widespread and normalized in popular culture and its potentially deadly side effects are diminished. “Psychotic disorders are associated with many adverse outcomes, including suicide, homelessness, unemployment, and an average life expectancy of 10–20 years less than the general population,” the study reports.
The CAMH study builds on another bombshell report from The Wall Street Journal last year also linking youth marijuana use to psychosis. “Nearly a third of adolescents they [Boston Children’s Hospital] see for checkups say they are using cannabis,” the Journal reported. “About a third of children using cannabis report experiencing hallucinations or paranoia.”
“One young man had nearly crashed his car because he thought demons were chasing him,” the Journal report continues. In another case, “a teenager with cannabis-use disorder had threatened to kill his mother.”
Currently, recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia. Fifteen more states have legalized the medical use of marijuana, meaning 39 total U.S. states have legalized marijuana in some capacity. The CAMH study, however, was conducted in Canada, where marijuana use is legalized throughout the country, with some provinces allowing individuals as young as 18 to purchase it.
Nonetheless, marijuana use is still common among American teenagers, even in states where it is not yet legal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “In 2022, 30.7% of US high school 12th graders reported using cannabis in the past year, and 6.3% reported using cannabis daily in the past 30 days.”
These recent revelations on the growing link between youth marijuana use and psychosis underscore the importance of education on cannabis, especially among young people.
“Why is the increased risk of psychosis so profound in teens? The researchers in my field think it has something to do with the significant rewiring that happens in adolescent brains, which continues into our early 20s, when symptoms of psychotic disorders typically start showing up,” Bearden said. “The same molecules and receptors in our brains that interact with THC (known as the endocannabinoid system) play an essential role in brain development.”
In the CAMH study, even if teens stopped using cannabis, their psychosis often continued. Bearden wrote that she had witnessed this with many of her patients, including some who had completed inpatient treatments. The damage from cannabis was severe and permanent.
“In light of such daunting data, some researchers have begun sounding the alarm,” Bearden said. “But we are struggling to get this information to those who need to hear it most: parents, educators, and legislators.”
While questions about U.S. legalization continue to loom, one Idaho lawmaker is hoping his state won’t follow suit, citing disastrous results in surrounding states that have chosen to legalize the drug.
“Looking around at other states that have legalized marijuana, it’s not improved their states as a place to raise a family, to do business,” said Idaho state Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican. “It just hasn’t come through with the promises that we heard years ago for those states.”
While recreational marijuana use, particularly in teens, remains a pressing concern, the drug has increased in popularity, particularly when it comes to medical applications. A Pew Research Center poll revealed that support for marijuana research has doubled in the past 20 years, with 70 percent of Americans saying they support legalization, compared to 31 percent in 2000.
Even for proponents of marijuana legalization, however, it is difficult to ignore the mounting pile of evidence that cannabis use carries far more risks than mainstream culture would lead people to believe. Ongoing research continues to prove that marijuana today is not the marijuana of the 90s – and young people may be the guinea pigs for just how dangerous this far more potent pot is.
Kamden Mulder is a senior at Hillsdale College pursuing a degree in American Studies and Journalism. You can follow her on X @kamdenmulder_.
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