SKUNK INCURS 18 TIMES THE RISK

People who smoke skunk, the extra strong cannabis grown in hothouse conditions, are 18 times more likely to develop psychosis that those who take the milder forms such as hash (cannabis resin), states a study presented to the Annual Meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists [3 July 2008].

Psychiatrist Dr Marta Di Forti, as part of the Genetics and Psychosis Study led by Professor Robin Murray, compared the pattern of cannabis use between 112 patients with first-episode psychosis and 75 healthy ‘controls’ screened for psychosis, both groups from south east London. They found that people who had a psychotic episode were twice as likely to have used cannabis for longer, three times more likely to have used it every day and 18 times more likely to use skunk.

The cannabis plant is "a rich treasure trove of pharmacology" and contains 60 cannabinoid molecules, said Dr Paul Morrison, a senior researcher working with Professor Murray. The one which attracts most publicity is THC Delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol, responsible for the psychotic symptoms and the cognitive deficits induced by cannabis.

But cannabis it also contains another molecule, CBD or cannabidiol, which seems to protect users from the psychosis and impaired   cognition induced by TCH. CBD seems to counteract the effect of THC.

The potency of THC in cannabis has increased steadily over the past decade due to higher concentrations of the drug and its formulation, delegates at the Annual Meeting heard (Data available in a recent paper by Dr Potter, January 2008 Journal of Forensic Science).

In 1995, skunk had 6% THC; now that figure is nearer 16-18%. Skunk contains no or very little CBD, so there is nothing to protect users against its power.

Dr Di Forti used an analogy comparing users of cannabis to drinkers. Like the drinker who starts off on half a pint of lager and ends up drinking a bottle of vodka a day, cannabis users might start with a weekly joint of hash or grass and graduate to smoking skunk every day, she said.

Because of the difference in strengths of cannabis formulations, Dr Di Forti urged psychiatrists to question their patients on their drug habits in a more detailed way. "We should have more data on cannabis exposure. We should take a cannabis history in a more detailed way like we do when we take a history of cigarettes smoking to establish risk of lung cancer. But it would be naive to say that smoking a joint is safe as we do not have enough data to reach such conclusion,” she recommended.

REFERENCE:

Annual Meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Imperial College, London, 1 - 4 July 2008.

Comments

[Glen]

quote -
"it would be naive to say that smoking a joint is safe as we do not have enough data to reach such conclusion,”

If there isn't enough study to prove that Cannabis is safe, how can you prove that it is unsafe. Another contradiction by someone who has their head in the sand regarding the futile war on drugs.

I am not psycotic, I am not schizo, I have many friends who are neither of these things that all smoke pot, yet you say it is dangerous, someone who has never tried it, while I have used it, not abused it, for 14 years, since I was 13. I have still accomplished a lot of things in my life including recovering from a 3 year crack addiction without treatment, graduating from college, and also acheiving a commercial pilots license and multiple heavy machine operator certificates. I have also never been hospitalised from the use of drugs, nor injured myself while on drugs. I have never been in a car accident or operated any vehicle in a dangerous fashion while high on cannabis, I have witnesses that don't use pot, that say I drive safely while high on weed.

There is so much money spent on drugs every year, and because it is illegal the prices are up 17000% in some cases from the source value. This breeds crime for money to finance drug addiction. Also, druglords are investing money and multiplying their investments by 170 fold.

Hello?

Is anybody listening?

Stop the war on drugs. Take away organized criminals supply of money and take back the regulation on who controls the drug trade.

And put a damn minimum age limit to buy drugs already.

Making these substances regulated will make them safer, since criminals who sell these drugs don't care what they put in them. They mix things in their drugs to make more money.

I'm done. Please email me if you have any more questions, or arguements, as I haven't heard to date, a fair arguement to keep drugs illegal.