Sunday 5 July 2009

Cannabis, Schizophrenia and Psychosis - Myth Finally Proven

No More Drug LiesCannabis does NOT cause schizophrenia or psychosis. I’ll repeat it for you, cannabis does NOT cause schizophrenia or psychosis.

A study from Keele University, Staffordshire. UK has compared figures between cannabis usage rates and cases of mental illness. The study showed that whilst cannabis use has increased dramatically, the level of mental illness has remained stable or even declined slightly. For a more robust explanation, visit
UKCIA.

Well, what can I say but ... bprtttttttttttttttttttttttt [raspberry].

I have long asked the question ... where are the bodies? If cannabis was as bad as claimed, our hospital system would be over flowing with zonked out mental patients. I remember Michael Gormly of the
Kings Cross Times first asking the question a while back and it’s simplistic logic got my attention. Where are the bodies? So simple but so telling. Thank you Michael ... you are 100% correct.

The hoax is over and there should be some really red faces. How many times did we hear this warning? Politicians, government backed doctors, drug warriors etc. all made it perfectly clear that they had irrefutable evidence that cannabis caused mental disorders like schizophrenia and psychosis. How truly embarrassing.

Is there going to be an apology to the millions who have suffered because of the cannabis hysteria from zealots? Will the UN update their position on cannabis? Are governments going to re-evalaluate their drug policies? Will Australia change their anti-cannabis advertisements?

How did it get to this, BTW? There was never conclusive evidence that cannabis caused permanent mental disorders but the authorities ignored this. They chose the popular position put forward by anti-drug crusaders without clarifying it first and played on the public’s ignorance. How much money has been wasted putting out this lie without sufficient evidence? How many resources have been squandered to push some theory that was never proven?

We can only wait and see what effects stem from this study. I doubt if it will even make most MSM pages and if it does, it will be buried deep between an article on a horse that dances and Lindsay Lohan’s new hairdresser. Remember that some groups are still claiming that the gateway theory is true and that Amotivational Syndrome exists. I also don’t see the government making a special announcement that they got it wrong or Miranda Devine running a correction in the Sydney Morning Herald. I especially doubt Drug Free Australia (DFA) or other anti-drug campaigners will change their rabid attacks but I am certain they will try to discredit the study using some bizarre logic. I fear that nothing much will really change for the next year or so but scientific facts are hard to argue with and thankfully, always win out in the end.



Assessing The Impact Of Cannabis Use On Trends In Diagnosed Schizophrenia In The United Kingdom From 1996 To 2005

PubMed

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

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, b) 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.



RELATED ARTICLES:
Cannabis And Mental Illness - The Keele Study
Study Debunks Claim That Pot Smoking Causes Mental Illness
New Study: Marijuana Doesn’t Increase Your Risk of Going Crazy
Chronic City: After Further Review, Smoking Pot Doesn't Make You Crazy -- Blimey!

Previous Articles Debunked
Cannabis Use And Risk Of Psychotic Or Affective Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review
Effects of cannabis use on outcomes of psychotic disorders: systematic review
Are Smoking Pot and Psychosis Linked?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Myth Finally Proven"

..and yet the lies were all regurgitated on channel 10 morning news today, when reporting on a californian plan to boost their failing economy by legalising cannabis.

"Cannabis is no longer the safe drug that misty eyed baby boomers remember...its up to 23X as strong, and a different plant completely."

"Legalizing cannabis will make more money for drug cartels"

Wankers.

Terry Wright said...

Thanks Anon.

LOL! If it was any other subject, others would be jumping all over them for lying. They would then be embarrassingly laughed for beating it up. Only the subject of drugs gets the approval from above to print or say anything without proper research.

AG said...

We know all the standard lies about cannabis and no one can categorically claim to know exactly why we still have a war on people who choose a relatively safe drug like cannabis. The incidence of psychosis has been steadily declining over the last 20 years. If the claims of pot and the so called increase in strength directly causing psychosis were true then why was there not a huge spike during the 60s and steady increase in rates of psychosis today?
I suspect there too many fingers are in too many pies politically to see any decrease any time soon, of the damage wrought by prohibition. PS I just read research that found a decrease in alcohol consumption in US states that have free access to medical pot. Could alcohol companies be behind prohibition? Never!