Marijuana

[Kathryn]

My brother has smoked marijuana since he was in his early teens. He is schizophrenic. When he was forty he had a mental breakdown and lost everything in his life, EVERYTHING - wife, home, job, vehicles, you name it - everything. He sounds bizarre these days, though he is taking meds. He's also smoking a LOT of weed.

He's not violent but he's a hot mess.

 

[Orbit]

:winner frubal:

See here for a detailed analysis: Is there a link between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders? | National Institute on Drug Abuse

 

[The Hammer]

As for all drugs, nope. For example I have seen too many methed up people doing crazy crap.

Yeah, but that doesn't exceed the number that use it regularly and are functional. Which is more then what you see ****ed up. Always is.

 

[The Hammer]

My brother has smoked marijuana since he was in his early teens. He is schizophrenic. When he was forty he had a mental breakdown and lost everything in his life, EVERYTHING - wife, home, job, vehicles, you name it - everything. He sounds bizarre these days, though he is taking meds. He's also smoking a LOT of weed.

Weed can exacerbate someone already prone to schizophrenia, but it does not cause the condition.

 

[The Hammer]

I think I read that in states where its legal, its still illegal federally. The way I understood it is.. lets say a trooper pulls you over, you have a little weed, no biggie. But if a fed pulls you over, its illegal.

That's about accurate. But feds hardly have troopers out and about.

 

[Kathryn]

Weed can exacerbate someone already prone to schizophrenia, but it does not cause the condition.

How do you know this? And besides that, if I was schizophrenic, I wouldn't want the condition to be exacerbated, but hey, that's just me.

 

[ChristineM]

See here for a detailed analysis: Is there a link between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders? | National Institute on Drug Abuse

::: INFORMATIVE::: frube

 

[Orbit]

How do you know this? And besides that, if I was schizophrenic, I wouldn't want the condition to be exacerbated, but hey, that's just me.

See the report I just posted--it explains it.

 

[Kathryn]

The only people I know who

See the report I just posted--it explains it.

We must be reading different reports. And like I said earlier, if I WAS schizophrenic, I wouldn't want the condition to be exacerbated anyway, but hey, that's just me. From the report:

Whether adolescent marijuana use can contribute to developing psychosis later in adulthood appears to depend on whether a person already has a genetically based vulnerability to the disorder.

It doesn't say they already have the disorder.

Also this, which also doesn't say they already have the disorder:

The influence of adolescent marijuana use on adult psychosis is affected by genetic variables. This figure shows that variations in a gene can affect the likelihood of developing psychosis in adulthood following exposure to cannabis in adolescence. The COMT gene governs an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, a brain chemical involved in schizophrenia. It comes in two forms: "Met" and "Val." Individuals with one or two copies of the Val variant have a higher risk of developing schizophrenic-type disorders if they used cannabis during adolescence (dark bars). Those with only the Met variant were unaffected by cannabis use.

Also this, from the report you posted:

Marijuana use has also been shown to worsen the course of illness in patients who already have schizophrenia. As mentioned previously, marijuana can produce an acute psychotic reaction in non-schizophrenic people who use marijuana, especially at high doses, although this fades as the drug wears off.

Ummm no thanks. Just...no.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Weed can exacerbate someone already prone to schizophrenia, but it does not cause the condition.

Informative. I had read a study on this, but wasn't sure if it caused it or just exacerbated it. I will read your link now. Thanks!

 

[The Hammer]

How do you know this? And besides that, if I was schizophrenic, I wouldn't want the condition to be exacerbated, but hey, that's just me.

Correct. You wouldn't. Which is why it's good to know if the condition runs in your family, as it has a strong genetic basis.

As far as how they know, @Orbit posted a good review of the research, and I've read other peer research that has confirmed the same thing.


Drugs as a whole don't cause mental problems, but they can make underlying mental.conditions worse.

 

[Kathryn]

Hey, anecdotal evidence only, but the only people I know who use marijuana in any form are mentally ill.

 

[Kathryn]

Correct. You wouldn't. Which is why it's good to know if the condition runs in your family, as it has a strong genetic basis.

As far as how they know, @Orbit posted a good review of the research, and I've read other peer research that has confirmed the same thing.


Drugs as a whole don't cause mental problems, but they can make underlying mental.conditions worse.

Or apparently, they can bring to the forefront something which may or may not be about to manifest, from the report's findings and other sources. The condition DOES run in my family but not only have I personally never been tempted by marijuana, I also am not mentally ill.

 

[VoidCat]

One thing to point out I'm about to look at the article you can be predisposed and have the genes for schizophrenic but not have schizophrenia. Something has to trigger the genes for it to occur.


Note: I am in favor of legalized weed

 

[fantome profane]

My brother has smoked marijuana since he was in his early teens. He is schizophrenic. When he was forty he had a mental breakdown and lost everything in his life, EVERYTHING - wife, home, job, vehicles, you name it - everything. He sounds bizarre these days, though he is taking meds. He's also smoking a LOT of weed.

He's not violent but he's a hot mess.

I am sorry to hear that. If you don’t mind me asking, was marijuana legal where you live when your brother started using it?

 

[Orbit]

Or apparently, they can bring to the forefront something which may or may not be about to manifest, from the report's findings and other sources.

To summarize the report, if you smoke it every day and have a genetic abnormality (explained in the report) there is a tendency towards psychosis. Those are two "ifs" that make a lot of difference.

The other side of the coin is that people who would have schizophrenia anyway are using cannabis to self-medicate, which doesn't work very well, but here we are.

 

[Audie]

Should it be legal to not only buy it at a dispensary but also legal to grow a limited amount for personal use (both without a medical card)?

I would put a poll but people whine about polls not having their choice or enough choices.

So .... Feel free to give your own unrestricted and unlimited answer.

Dope is for dopes

 

[Kathryn]

To summarize the report, if you smoke it every day and have a genetic abnormality (explained in the report) there is a tendency towards psychosis. Those are two "ifs" that make a lot of difference.

The other side of the coin is that people who would have schizophrenia anyway are using cannabis to self-medicate, which doesn't work very well, but here we are.

Actually what the report says is that if you have a genetic predisposition and use marijuana during adolescence (it doesn't say "every day") there is a heightened tendency toward schizophrenic disorders. From the report:

The influence of adolescent marijuana use on adult psychosis is affected by genetic variables. This figure shows that variations in a gene can affect the likelihood of developing psychosis in adulthood following exposure to cannabis in adolescence. The COMT gene governs an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, a brain chemical involved in schizophrenia. It comes in two forms: "Met" and "Val." Individuals with one or two copies of the Val variant have a higher risk of developing schizophrenic-type disorders if they used cannabis during adolescence (dark bars). Those with only the Met variant were unaffected by cannabis use.

Do many people know their own genetic code and whether or not they are vulnerable? I mean, I told my kids so fingers crossed - apparently they listened since only one of the four suffers from any sort of mental disorder, and it's a mild form and something that doesn't keep her from working or being a good wife or mother.

 

[vulcanlogician]

Require a permit for it.

Nah, not for what is grown for personal use. Commercial permits I think are fine. And that's par for the course for many, many commercial enterprises. But I don't think it's right for someone to be taxed (whether we're talking tomatoes or anything) for what they grow and consume themselves.

 

[Father Heathen]

Yes marijuana should be legalised, but available on prescription only.​

For consistencies sake, the same for alcohol, right?