Study Debunks Claim That Pot Smoking Causes Mental Illness

[grace]

Much has made — by the mainstream media and others — of the claim that cannabis use causes certain types of mental illness, specifically schizophrenia and psychosis.

 

Most notably perhaps, a team of researchers writing in the July 28, 2007 edition of the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet, boldly proclaimed that smoking cannabis could boost one’s risk of a psychotic episode by 40 percent or more.

 

Naturally, this alarmist rhetoric received wall-to-wall coverage by the mainstream press. Even more troubling, the supposed ‘pot-and-schizophrenia’ link was one of the primary reasons cited by British PM Gordon Brown, ex-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and others as the impetus for reclassifying cannabis (from a verbal warning to a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in jail) in the United Kingdom.

 

Of course, there was a fatal flaw with The Lancet’s argument — one that, oddly enough, every single MSM outlet failed to mention. Empirical data did not support the investigators’ hypothesis that smoking marijuana was associated with increased rates of schizophrenia or other mental illnesses among the general public — a fact that even the authors begrudgingly admitted when they declared, “Projected trends for schizophrenia incidence have not paralleled trends in cannabis use over time.”

 

Which brings us to 2009.

 

Two years after The Lancet’s dire predictions, a team of researchers at the Keele University Medical School have once and for all put the ‘pot-and-mental illness’ claims to the test. Writing in a forthcoming edition of the scientific journal Schizophrenia Research, they compare long-term trends in marijuana use and incidences of schizophrenia and/or psychoses in the United Kingdom. And what do they find?

 

“[T]he expected rise in diagnoses of schizophrenia and psychoses did not occur over a 10 year period. This study does not therefore support the specific causal link between cannabis use and incidence of psychotic disorders. … This concurs with other reports indicating that increases in population cannabis use have not been followed by increases in psychotic incidence.”

 

Assessing the impact of cannabis use on trends in diagnosed schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005.

Frisher M, Crome I, Martino O, Croft P.

Department of Medicines Management, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19560900

 

Should we expect an apology — or even better, a change in policy — from the Gordon Brown regime any time soon? Or at the very least, will some sort of ‘correction’ be forthcoming from the mainstream news media?

 

I wouldn’t hold my breath.

 

Author: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

1 July 2009

Source: NORML

http://blog.norml.org/2009/07/01/study-deb...mental-illness/

[420 HELI]

Noice u learn em boys

[bufo marinus]

This report is quite readable, HAVE A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS!

 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19560900

 

Assessing the impact of cannabis use on trends in diagnosed schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005.

Frisher M, Crome I, Martino O, Croft P.

 

Department of Medicines Management, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom.

 

A recent systematic review concluded that cannabis use increases risk of psychotic outcomes independently of confounding and transient intoxication effects. Furthermore, a model of the association between cannabis use and schizophrenia indicated that the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia would increase from 1990 onwards. The model is based on three factors: a) increased relative risk of psychotic outcomes for frequent cannabis users compared to those who have never used cannabis between 1.8 and 3.1, a substantial rise in UK cannabis use from the mid-1970s and c) elevated risk of 20 years from first use of cannabis. This paper investigates whether this has occurred in the UK by examining trends in the annual prevalence and incidence of schizophrenia and psychoses, as measured by diagnosed cases from 1996 to 2005. Retrospective analysis of the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) was conducted for 183 practices in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The study cohort comprised almost 600,000 patients each year, representing approximately 2.3% of the UK population aged 16 to 44. Between 1996 and 2005 the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining. Explanations other than a genuine stability or decline were considered, but appeared less plausible. In conclusion, this study did not find any evidence of increasing schizophrenia or psychoses in the general population from 1996 to 2005.

 

 

183 practises encompassing 600 000 patients over 10 years, between 1996 - 2005 the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining.

In conclusion, this study did not find any evidence of increasing schizophrenia or psychoses in the general population from 1996 to 2005

 

If Cannabis use was causing schizophrenia the 'science' would be shoved down the public's throat but we won't hear a bloody thing in the mainstream media.

Thanks grace

[Martvic]

Another under the radar find, bet we don't hear about this too often in the media.

You post a lot of interesting stuff Grace.

[luciddreaming]

Yeah guarantee it won't get a mention.

2.3% of the population, that is a MASSIVE study if I ever did see one. In fact it's the biggest I've ever seen. Well anyone wanna e-mail the NCPIC

Regarding the first study "Most notably perhaps, a team of researchers writing in the July 28, 2007 edition of the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet, boldly proclaimed that smoking cannabis could boost one’s risk of a psychotic episode by 40 percent or more."

This is proof they were biased. Psychotic episode merely means panic attack. Do you here anyone with anxiety disorders saying they suffered a 'psychotic episode'?

FUCK NO!, just plain old panic attack or anxiety attack. Because then it doesn't sound like you are going crazy, which is obviously what these people were trying to embed in people's minds.

[MadamePandora]

Thanks for posting this info

 

very helpful to see the truth occasionally

[jabez]

I try to read everything of what’s being said in the main stream world media and I did not see any of the main stream media report this.

 

But there was another report about cannabis that I noticed got reported by at least 5 different media outlets in the UK on July 1st.

 

Coroner blames death on 'toxic cannabis'

 

 

Hadrian Gardner, 17, who was known as Adie, collapsed in front of his father after work and began having a fit before suffering a heart attack and dying.

 

Hadrian, of Macclesfield, had had a long involvement in illegal drugs and was expelled from high school for drug use.

 

But the inquest heard he had begun to improve his life with a new job at Prestbury Village Restaurant,

 

On only his second day at work, his father was waiting to pick him up when he saw him emerge from the building and collapse.

 

Robert Gardner told the inquest at Macclesfield Town Hall: "He came out of the restaurant, crossed the triangular piece of grass and then stumbled and fell on the pavement. It was a bit surreal.

 

"He fitted for about 10 seconds."

 

Despite resuscitation and six attempts at defibrillation by paramedics, Hadrian never recovered, the inquest heard.

 

Hadrian died at Macclesfield Hospital at 12.15am on October 8.

 

Geoff Roberts, the deputy coroner for Cheshire, said: "People use cannabis and think that it is a harmless property. We have heard clear evidence in this case that it is not. Very sadly, Hadrian died as a result of the direct toxic effects on the heart that the use of cannabis had. As such, it was an avoidable death.

 

"This case highlights that cannabis use is potentially life-threatening." Mr Roberts added: "We have heard how over a period of time, for some years, he had used cannabis and perhaps other illegal substances.

 

"This is a very sad case because, despite his turbulent past and cannabis use, he had got a job as a trainee chef. The post-mortem showed no findings of recent drug use.

 

"But his body was left a legacy of using cannabis in the past, which directly led to his death.

 

"My conclusion is that Hadrian died as a result of using drugs."

 

Dr Sally Hales, who carried out the post mortem examination, said the teenager had inflammation of the heart and that "a history of using cannabis, amphetamines and cocaine would appear to be the most likely cause".

 

Speaking after the inquest, Rick Palmer, Hadrian's former manager at the restaurant, said: "He was a nice lad who worked hard. He was reliable, no trouble and good to work with. His death was a total shock to us all."

 

Author: unknown

Date: 01 Jul 2009

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Copyright: Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2009

 

Those sneaky little rats!

[luciddreaming]

Excuse me while I go shoot the coroner....

 

Ok, where were we?

Oh yeah....

WHAT.

THE.

hell

 

If you don't mind I'm gonna post that in a separate thread.