Weeding Through the Hype: Pot and Schizophrenia

[Flaneur]

The author is a NORML official. He's also very thorough.


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Weeding Through The Hype: Interpreting The Latest Warnings About Pot and Schizophrenia

March 1st, 2010 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

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Once again members of the mainstream media are running wild with the notion that marijuana use causes schizophrenia and psychosis.

To add insult to injury, this latest dose of reefer rhetoric comes only days after investigators in the United Kingdom reported in the prestigious scientific journal Addiction that the available evidence in support of this theory is ³neither very new, nor by normal criteria, particularly compelling.² (Predictably, the conclusions of that study went all together unnoticed by the mainstream press.)

Yet today¹s latest alarmist report, like those studies touting similar claims before it, fails to account for the following: If, as the authors of this latest study suggest, cannabis use is a cause of mental illness (and schizophrenia in particular), then why have diagnosed incidences of schizophrenia not paralleled rising trends in cannabis use over time?

In fact, it was only in September when investigators at the Keele University Medical School in Britain smashed the pot = schizophrenia theory to smithereens. Writing in the journal Schizophrenia Research, the team compared trends in marijuana use and incidences of schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005. Researchers reported that the ³incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining² during this period, even the use of cannabis among the general population was rising.

That said, none of this is to suggest that there may not be some association between marijuana use and certain psychiatric ailments. Cannabis use can correlate with mental illness for many reasons. People often turn to cannabis to alleviate the symptoms of distress. One study performed in Germany showed that cannabis offsets certain cognitive declines in schizophrenic patients. Another study demonstrated that psychotic symptoms predict later use of cannabis, suggesting that people might turn to the plant for help rather than become ill after use.

Of course, even if one takes the MSM¹s latest ¹sky is falling¹ scenario at face value, health risks connected with pot use ‹ when scientifically documented ‹ should not be seen as legitimate reasons for criminal prohibition, but instead, as reasons for the plant¹s legal regulation.

For instance, as I told AOL News earlier today: ³We don¹t outlaw peanuts because a small percentage of people have allergic reactions. We educate the community, we regulate where and when peanuts can be exchanged. That seems like it ought to apply to marijuana, too.²

To draw another real world comparison, millions of Americans safely use ibuprofen as an effective pain reliever. However, among a minority of the population who suffer from liver and kidney problems, ibuprofen presents a legitimate and substantial health risk. However, this fact no more calls for the criminalization of ibuprofen among adults than do these latest anti-pot allegations, even if true, call for the current prohibition of cannabis.

Placed in this context, today¹s warnings latest do little to advance the government¹s position in favor of tightening prohibition, and provide ample ammunition to wage for its repeal.

[RKP5637]

1. The media is a bunch of whores. They will do anything to make money. All we have

today is sensational tabloid journalism with flawed facts, and many sadly believe the crapola. I can't wait for Internet TV to trash conventional network TV, newspapers, etc. Then, maybe we can get independent investigative reporting and dump the conventional conglomerate media whores.

[Echo In Light]

5. There's a long history of the establishment creating fear re the ideological war on pot users

[asdjrocky]

2. K&R for this.

Spent an hour this morning at an emergency meeting of the County Board of Supervisors doing my part.

We finally get local dispensaries open so people can get their medicine safely and locally and the first thing that happens is the cannabis bigots come along with their propaganda to ruin it for law abiding people.

At the last city council meeting a "drug counselor" spoke passionately about the many, many marijuana overdoses she has seen in her 19 years of "service." No one bothered to ask her how much pot a person has to consume to od, funny that. Her making a living depends on people believing tripe like the studies mentioned in the article.

Thanks for posting.

[Codeine]

3. A NORML spokesman is bound to be neutral on the subject.

:eyes:

[intheflow]

4. Whereas the scientific journal Schitzophrenia Research is bound to be biased in favor of pot use.

:eyes:

[Therellas]

6. with a name like Codeine......

nihilist drug.

[Codeine]

7. Not a drug reference.

A band name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeine_(band)

[bananas]

13. The band is named after a drug.

Therefore, drug reference.

[Romulox]

15. Ummm, perhaps you didn't get the BAND'S reference then? PS: D for love...

I purchased the Frigid Stars LP back in 1991! :wow:

Anyhoo, the name of the band is a reference to the drug. :hi:

[Codeine]

17. Lol!

I understood that! Just not that my own handle is a reference to anything but that beautiful slowcore goodness from the band.

Frigid Stars was truly amazing when it came out.

[redqueen]

8. Did you perhaps bother doing any reading at all beyond the headline?

I know it's deeply unpopular here... but still.

They are citing the Keele University Medical School in Britain... do you want to roll your eyes at them, too?

[Flaneur]

9. Try addressing the substance of the article.

[frylock]

10. how about the studies cited by the spokesman?

are they biased as well?

[Fumesucker]

12. I'm not sure there is anyone "neutral" on the subject..

Given the totally illegal (schedule 1) status of pot all non-epidemiological research must be done with government approval and the government is anything but neutral and has been caught lying about pot repeatedly for over seventy years now.

[marlakay]

11. Look at the huge warnings on all pharmacy commercials

some of the things they say scare the shit out of you. This is all to stop pot from going legal. I see this as a bunch of BS paid for by corporations that stand to lose if it is legalized.

[asdjrocky]

14. Very good point. nt

[jotsy]

16. The anti marijuana movement was founded and perpetuated on a sham.

That's a direct quote from an assistant D.A. who spoke to me as a source when I wrote a pro legalization argument for the community college magazine while studying journalism in the early 90's.

He contended that the deeper motivation was about removing marijuana as a textile. Above and beyond its medicinal benefits, cloth, rope, paper, even fuel and oils for paint pigment are just what I recall as uses off the top of my head. The guy who initiated the whole refer madness theory, I believe was DuPont and he enjoyed close ties to Eli Lilly, who to this day benefits from the success of the criminalization of marijuana.

From there, until such time as toxic air quality due to corporate polluters or things like rocket fuel in the drinking water can be eliminated as factors, I don't believe this argument comes to credible conclusions.

I've heard a saying, 'God made marijuana, man made alcohol, who do you trust?'

I know the answer for me is not Eli Lilly.

k and r