A British study found recently that the risk of first time psychosis among users of high THC cannabis was three times greater than for non-users, regardless of the age of the user or the frequency of use. Frequent users were found to have more than five times the risk.
The study was conducted by a group of physicians and scientists at Kings College London, and the results were published in this week’s Lancet, one of the most highly regarded medical journals in the world. The study was funded by the UK National Institute of Health Research.
No psychosis risk increase was found comparing low potency users with non-users. However, recent studies show that the legalization trend has resulted in a steady increase in the THC content of marijuana available for use and sale in the US.
The study results add to the increasing body of medical research pointing out the increasing dangers of marijuana use, particularly among children and young adults. Ironically these studies are bucking the trend toward legalization of medical and recreational use in roughly half the states. This occurs at the same time that use, distribution, and cultivation continue to be federal crimes. This anomaly is nowhere more blatant than in the District of Columbia which legalized use and cultivation this week.
Nor does there appear to be any resolution in the offing of this conflict. The federal executive and Congressional branches seem to offer no leadership on the dilemma.
Meanwhile many state government leaders considering the issue seem to be focused on short term financial projections than on the health issues. And whatever medical research is made part of the debate is often from an earlier time when THC levels were a small fraction of today’s high potency pot being cultivated by enterprising agronomists.
The psychosis study seems symbolic of this entire issue from a macro-examination perspective as well.
