cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Study Raises Questions, Experts Say





Marijuana Study Raises Questions, Experts Say
Posted by CN Staff on November 29, 2002 at 07:18:24 PT
By Alonzo Weston
Source: St. Joseph News-Press 
A recent study from the Netherlands suggests that smoking marijuana can increase the risk of serious mental illness. Local mental-health officials have varying views on these findings.“All drugs, including marijuana, can cause psychosis. It’s misleading to think it is harmless,” said Dr. Syed Jaffri, a staff psychiatrist for Family Guidance Center for Behavioral Healthcare in St. Joseph.
“Obviously, what they are saying here is a concern,” said Dr. James Reynolds, medical director for Northwest Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center in St. Joseph. “It’s certainly something that would be a concern to anyone using marijuana or contemplating using marijuana because the average person would not expect such a significant side effect from the drug.”According to an article on the -- http://www.mentalhelp.net -- Web site, the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands came to this conclusion after doing a three-year study on the effects of marijuana use.The article stated that the university research team monitored the drug use and mental changes in 4,045 volunteers from 1997 to 1999.At the beginning of the study, all of the test group members were reported to be mentally sound. By the end of the test period, the research team reportedly found that 55 of the volunteers were suffering from moderate to severe psychosis.About a third of the people said to suffer from psychoses in the test group were regular marijuana users. In the overall group, only about 7 percent were regular users.Dr. Reynolds said he had questions about the study’s findings. He said the number of people in the study said to be suffering from mental illness because of smoking marijuana was not much different from the normal baseline rate for mental illness.“The baseline rate of mental illness begins to develop between late adolescence and early adulthood, and my guess would be that most marijuana users would be in that same age group,” he said. “How do you know if those people would not have got psychotic anyway?”Dr. Reynolds said since a large percentage of the mentally ill use tobacco, that also should be looked into as a possible contributing factor to their illnesses.“The incidence of cigarette smoking is significantly higher in persons with serious mental illness then in the general population. Would you conclude that tobacco causes serious mental illness?” he said. “What we have found is that tobacco does not cause mental illness, but it may help relieve some of the symptoms of serious mental illness.”Mike Stuart, director of adult case-management services for Family Guidance, said he doesn’t necessarily believe marijuana smoking contributes to serious mental illness. However, there are other mental detriments.“Some studies say chronic marijuana use can cause memory impairment, especially short-term memory and the ability to acquire new information,” he said. “Marijuana can also affect depth perception.”Another significant symptom of marijuana use is a lack of motivation, he added.“But it’s not a psychotic condition,” he said.Dr. Jaffri said a number of factors are involved in determining whether someone develops a mental illness from marijuana smoking.“How healthy someone is physically has an effect, and other things come into play — unstable home environment, poor socioeconomic conditions — all those things play a role,” he said.Genetics also play a role in determining if someone develops a mental illness from marijuana use, Dr. Jaffri said.Some marijuana users have experienced symptoms of mental illness, such as hallucinations and paranoia. Those symptoms usually disappear a short while after use in a normal person but can linger in a person with base mental problems.“Everything in the brain has a chemical basis to it. Affect those chemicals, and it causes problems,” he said.Diane McEnaney, senior addiction-treatment counselor for Family Guidance, said marijuana use could cause certain mental conditions. But with proper recovery those conditions aren’t usually long-lasting.“I’ve seen it linked to anxiety disorders, severe paranoia and depression,” she said. But marijuana can cause more serious mental problems when used with other drugs.“There are very few that I’ve found that just use marijuana,” Ms. McEnaney said. Source: St. Joseph News-Press (MO)Author: Alonzo WestonPublished: Friday, November 29, 2002Copyright: 2002 The News-Press, St. Joseph, MissouriContact: letters npgco.comWebsite: http://www.stjoenews-press.com/Related Articles:Marijuana Linked to Schizophrenia, Depressionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14808.shtmlPot May Cause Depression, Schizophrenia http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14804.shtmlCannabis a Medical Miracle - It's Official http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11254.shtml 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #2 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on November 29, 2002 at 10:52:09 PT
Jail studies?
Where are the studies on the effects of criminal sanctions on individuals' mental health?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by mayan on November 29, 2002 at 08:50:15 PT
inconclusive
"Dr. Reynolds said he had questions about the study’s findings. He said the number of people in the study said to be suffering from mental illness because of smoking marijuana was not much different from the normal baseline rate for mental illness."Yet another study that proves nothing. Has anyone noticed how all of these "recent" studies are basically inconclusive but the articles reporting them are generally biased against cannabis? It seems as though prohibitionists are struggling to discredit cannabis since all of their old propaganda has been disproven. This particular study was done from 1997-1999. Maybe it took a while to evaluate the data? The way out is the way in -The Kissinger Bombshell - An Open Letter to 9/11 Skeptics and Doubters:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0211/S00180.htmDETERMINED TO BURY THE TRUTH--Bush picks Kissinger to head official probe - new stage in the September 11 coverup: 
http://www.gooff.com/news/read.asp?ID=1575KISSINGER OUT OF THE CLOSET:
http://www.newswithviews.com/iserbyt/iserbyt3.htmThe Latest Kissinger Outrage - Why is a proven liar and wanted man in charge of the 9/11 investigation? http://slate.msn.com/?id=2074678Kissinger: Wanted by International Court? http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2170879,00.htmlWANTED: Henry Kissinger http://www.zpub.com/un/wanted-hkiss.htmlIs Henry Kissinger a War Criminal? http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0611-03.htmMike Ruppert audio - Guns & Butter radio 9/11 interview: 
http://www.rise4news.net/Ruppert59.ramSept.11 probe gets high profile:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/4621669.htmThe People's Investigation of 9/11:
http://www.911pi.com/
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment