cannabisnews.com: Cannabis Link To Psychosis
Cannabis Link To Psychosis
Posted by CN Staff on July 03, 2003 at 08:18:59 PT
By Sarah Boseley, Health Editor
Source: Guardian Unlimited
Very heavy use of cannabis could be a cause of psychosis, according to a leading psychiatrist who believes that society should think carefully about the potential consequences of its increasing use. Robin Murray, professor of psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry and consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley hospital in London, says that in the last 18 months, there has been increasing evidence that cannabis causes serious mental illness.
In particular, a Dutch study of 4,000 people from the general population found that those taking large amounts of cannabis were almost seven times more likely to have psychotic symptoms three years later."This research must not be ignored," said Prof Murray, speaking at the annual general meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Edinburgh.Writing in the Guardian last August, Prof Murray said he had been surprised that the discussion around cannabis had skirted around the issue of psychosis.Psychiatrists had known for 150 years that very heavy consumption of cannabis could cause hallucinations and delusions."This was thought to be very rare and transient until the 1980s when, as cannabis consumption rose across Europe and the USA, it became apparent that people with chronic psychotic illnesses were more likely to be regular daily consumers of cannabis than the general population."In the UK, he said, people with schizophrenia are about twice as likely to smoke cannabis. The reason appears to be the effect that the drugs have on chemicals in the brain. "In schizophrenia, the hallucinations and delusions result from an excess of a brain chemical called dopamine. All the drugs which are known to cause psychosis - amphetamine, cocaine and cannabis -increase the release of dopamine in the brain."Cannabis had been the downfall of many a promising student, he suggested. "Like any practising psychiatrist, I have often listened to the distraught parents of a young man diagnosed with schizophrenia tell me that as a child their son was very bright and had no obvious psychological problems. Then in his mid-teens his grades began falling. He started complaining that his friends were against him and that people were talking about him behind his back."After several years of increasingly bizarre behaviour, he dropped out of school, job or university; he was admitted to a psychiatric unit overwhelmed by paranoid fears and persecution by voices. The parents tell me that, at some point, their son was heavily dependent on cannabis."It used to be thought that the high numbers of psychotic patients taking cannabis could be explained because they used it to alleviate their symptoms. The recent studies, however, have looked at large populations without mental illness and studied the numbers of cannabis takers within them who have developed psychosis.Special Report - Drugs in Britain: http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/0,2759,178206,00.htmlSource: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)Author: Sarah Boseley, Health EditorPublished: Thursday, July 3, 2003Copyright: 2003 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: letters guardian.co.ukWebsite: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Related Articles & Web Site:Chronic Cannabis Use in PDF Formathttp://www.freedomtoexhale.com/ccu.pdfMinimal Long-Term Effects Of Marijuana Found http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16737.shtmlStudy: Pot Doesn't Hurt Thinking Skills http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16711.shtmlSmoking Pot Doesn't Harm Brain Function http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16706.shtml
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Comment #39 posted by Dh on August 22, 2003 at 11:26:10 PT:
Schizophrenia and Pot
Hi my name is David, I'm 36 years old and have being smoking pot for 16 years. I have schizophrenia and would like to comment on some of what I have been reading.
As far pot making you mad it is true if you are among the 1 in 100 people who have this particular mental illness and don't know it. I hate to admit it but pot causes something called toxic pychosis or drug induced pychosis. You have symptoms like hallucinating,paranioa, delusions and hearing voices. I personaly find it intoxicating and have trouble stopping my use of marijuana. The person, me in this case, goes through pychosis so many times that it acually gets imprited on my brain so that when I'm not high I have difficulty functioning like a "normal" person. I figure I have about twenty years before they put me in the madhouse and I would only have myself to blame. Pychosis can be addictive and suggest to all fellow schizophrenics to take your medications no matter what you think. Reality is far more interesting than what goes on in your mind.("your joking", "no, I'm not.")Anyways I hope all you 'normal' people enjoy your drugs and don't get to scared, worse things could happen to you.
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Comment #38 posted by Ivo on July 05, 2003 at 14:06:58 PT:
dont believe everything you read-RESEARCH!
Perhaps if it were legal people wouldn't be paranoid! Also, as a child I showed several signs of mental illness. I was paranoid, depressed to the point of suicide, and a hypocondriach(sp?). Since I begin using cannabis daily as a young teen I have ceased to have these symptoms. When I am sober I sometimes feel them again, but with a couple of tokes followed by an introspective, often emotional, meditation, I feel better for weeks.
I think people need to realize that it is nearly impossable for a respectable, liberal docter to accuire funds to reasearch cannabis. Most studies have U.S. Government funding, even if it is disguised by some other orginization who ultimatly answers to "the shrub" i.e. extream right wingers. And when people show positive resulst of cannabis, history shows, they lose their funding! Docters that put out these reports need to be carefully examened for ties to the pharmaceutical industry, which just happens to be controlled by the right wings in our society. Phizer is directly connected to Dick Cheney an George Dubya! Herbs are medicine, pharmaceuticals are drugs! Fight drugs not Plants!
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Comment #37 posted by Dan B on July 04, 2003 at 13:46:39 PT
Thanks, Treeanna
I appreciate the update on methods of psychology. I left the field in 1995, and it seems those were comparatively the dark ages. I always thought that, properly studied, psychology would eventually merge with neurology and become a study of the brain rather than a study of the mind (psyche). The psychological is, in my opinion, always connected to the physiological. Also, thanks to Richard Paul Zuckerman. I appreciate especially your bringing up the works of Dr. Thomas S. Szasz. He's a brilliant thinker and has always been way ahead of his time. You do us great justice by bringing his ideas into the equation.Dan B
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Comment #36 posted by Jose Melendez on July 04, 2003 at 09:27:03 PT
get the picture
Check out the following images and associated text:http://www.pharmacology2000.com/Central/psychotics/mri_schizo.htmhttp://www.nimh.nih.gov/hotsci/3-dview.htmAlso, from:http://www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Ahschizophrenia/Neurochemistry.htmThe Neurochemistry Behind Auditory Hallucinations
Like many aspects of schizophrenia, there are no definitive answers in regard to the biochemical mechanisms underlying the auditory hallucinations associated with this disease. However, research extending over the past century has illuminated many possible explanations. While these explanations are limited by the complexity and unanswered questions surrounding the brain and behavior, they do provide an impetus for further research as well as insight for current treatments. Currently, one of the most promising and well-researched theories involves a malfunction in the circuitry of the neurotransmitter dopamine. This theory is not specific to auditory hallucinations because the exact mechanisms of these hallucinations remain unclear. However, because there is a strong correlation between the two, the theory will be presented on this page in the context of auditory hallucinations. The Dopamine Theory
History of the theory
As is often the case in the discovery of the molecular mechanisms of a disease, preliminary insight is gained through examination of the molecular actions of exogenous chemicals that either mimic aspects of a disease, or treat its symptomatic manifestations. The first breakthrough with schizophrenia came with the discovery that certain drugs found effective in the treatment of anxiety before surgery also proved to be powerful antipsychotics. Among the first of these drugs discovered was chlorpromazine, originally used by Henri Laborit, a French surgeon, to relieve undesirable side effects of anesthesia. Laborit felt that histamine release from mast cells contributed to anxiety and chose chlorpromazine based on its known antihistaminergic effects. However, he soon found that this drug was highly effective in treating the symptoms of anxiety, and proposed its use with psychotic patients. In 1951, John Delay and Pierre Deniker were the first to explore clinical applications for patients of schizophrenia and met with definitive success. While many assumed that the effects of chlorpromazine were achieved through its action as a tranquilizer or general sedative, by 1964 researchers began to recognize its effects were specific to the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. Once the effects of chlorpromazine were widely accepted, researchers started to pry into the molecular nature of these effects, hoping to reveal the secrets of the psychosis that had eluded them for so long. Following the assumption that an exogenous compound can only exert an effect by acting at pre-existing receptors within the body, researchers looked for endogenous compounds that shared similar chemical properties with chlorpromazine. What they found was dopamine. Dopamine is a natural neurotransmitter and will be discussed further in a moment. (Snipped)
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Comment #35 posted by Treeanna on July 04, 2003 at 08:28:50 PT
Dan B
That was an impressive post.Nice union of writing skill and psychological insight/awareness!I have been studying psychology myself, along with some sociology, criminology, etc (ADJ major here), and it may interest you to know that lately they have been narrowing diagnosis of this condition to an actual dysfunction of the brain at the cellular level involving the chemistry (i.e. neurons misfiring in a number of ways). Hallucinations and so on are caused by the malfunctioning of the brain in this instance.From what we were told, there are tests to measure specific level of neurotransmitters, etc, and synaptic activity levels in certain portions of the brain which are a much more concrete meathod of diagnosis that mere questions or written tests. Unhappily, most of these tests are very expensive, so the majority of folk never get the benefit of them.
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Comment #34 posted by Richard Paul Zuckerm on July 04, 2003 at 08:17:29 PT:
THE MYTH OF MENTAL ILLNESS
ABUSE OF PSYCHIATRYI was convicted of mailing a threatening letter to a federal district judge in a motion for reconsideration of his 89 page opinion dismissing my civil rights complaint. I will not mail threaten again. I was railroaded for psychiatric "evaluation" and "treatment" to stand trial, under The Insanity Defense Reform Act, 18 U.S.C. Section 4241(a) and 18 U.S.C. Section 4241.(d). The first indictment was dismissed on March 30, 1990. The feds subsequently reindicted me on that mail threat charge, took me through trial in the same U.S. Courthouse where the mail threat was received [In Re Wayne Alley, the 10th Circuit published an opinion which disqualified all local federal judges because of locus of the Oklahoma City bombing; In re Disqualification of Nadel: State v. Smith, an opinion published around volume 543 of the Northeastern Reporter, 2nd Series, Ohio Chief Justice Moyer disqualified all judges of that county where the suspect was charged with assault, kidnapping, and robbery upon the wife and daughter of one of the county judges], by Nicholas H. Politan, federal trial judge, D.N.J.(Newark), who is a Roman Catholic [www.vaticanassassins.org], appointed by George Herbert Walker Bush, who refused to instruct the jury that exaggeration is a defense to a mail threat charge. The jury found me guilty. Judge Politan ordered me sent for psychiatric "evaluation" and "treatment" to be sentenced, under the Insanity Defense Reform Act, 18 U.S.C. Section 4244.(a) and 18 U.S.C. Section 4244.(d). I was literally railroaded into being convicted and psychiatricized by the court appointed stand-by "defense" attorney! There is literature extant to the effect that after the U.S. Supreme Court raised the burden of proof in civil commitment cases, in Addington v. Texas, 441 U.S. (1978 or 1979), psychiatric patients were dumped into the streets, where they were arrested, routed through the criminal justice system where they could be incarcerated for psychiatric "evaluation" and "treatment" under the guise that they were mentally incompetent to stand trial, where the burden of proof is the old "preperondance of the evidence" standard which Addington v. Texas had specifically outlawed. D.C. Circuit Judge David L. Bazelon answered the clarion call by psychiatrists in the 1950s by allowing their testimony in insanity cases, from his landmark opinion in Durham v. United States. Throughout the years of pondering his Durham Insanity Defense opinion, however, Judge Bazelon realized he was wrong about forensic psychiatry. He came to realize that forensic psychiatrists really do not help prevent or cure crime. After his Durham decision, Judge Bazelon wrote in U.S. v. Wright, 627 F.2d 1300, 1311 (D.C. Cir. 1980): "We know the danger of a Big Brother State that treats its critics as mentally ill." For his explanation, please read the late Judge Bazelon's book entitled Questioning Authority, circa 1988, one of the chapters which addresses psychiatry? Before you believe the word of a psychiatrist, please read some of the literature by Dr. Thomas S. Szasz, M.D.. One book he has read which I highly recommend is entitled Cruel Compassion. Another book he has written is entitled Our Right To Drugs: The Case For A Free Market. The book he had written which began to raise serious questions about the legitimacy of the psychiatric profession is entitled The Myth of Mental Illness.In the book entitled Marijuana Reconsidered, circa 1971, author Dr. Lester Grinspoon, M.D., retired Harvard Medical School Psychiatrist, suggested that before you believe the studies against Marijuana, you should consider:
[1] Whether the conclusion of the "study" was merely an examination of previous studies;
[2] Whether the study was performed double-blind;
[3] Who funded the study, i.e., whether the government funded the study;
[4] Whether the doctors who conducted the study were pro-government, e.g., those "studies" by Dr. Gabriel Nahas, which might suggest bias;
[5] Whether the patients studied had a pre-existing mental illness;
[6] Whether they had used other drugs;
[7] Whether they were living under environmental conditions which rendered them susceptible to mental illness anyway.In his book entitled Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine, Dr. Grinspoon complains that the government has refused to fund studies on the potential medical uses of Cannabis, and refers throughout the book of the anecdotal medical uses of Cannabis. Dr. Grinspoon does make certain comments in this book that people with Schizophrenia should be cautious in smoking pot. Nevertheless, it appears that Dr. Grinspoon has been correct that throughout all of the studies on Marihuana use, there has been no known fatality from pot smoking, it does have a place in medicine.One need not be a psychiatrist to see that moderate Cannabis use is not harmful. The bottom line is that after seeing all of the abuses of psychiatrists, the field of forensic psychiatry is a black eye on the medical profession.Richard Paul Zuckerman, Box 159, Metuchen, N.J., 08840-0159, (Cell telephone number)(908) 403-6990, richardzuckerman2002 yahoo.com.Diploma in Paralegal, New York University, 2003;
Diploma in Truck Driving, Smith & Solomon School of Truck Driving, Edison, New Jersey, 1995;
B.A. in Political Science, Kean University, 1987;Member: www.greenparty.org; www.njlp.org; www.norml.org; www.normlnj.org; www.jpfo.org;Subscriber to: New Jersey Militia Newsletter, www.njmilitia.org, info njmilitia.org [See: 10 U.S.C. Section 311](Subscription rate:$10/year); The Free Press, P.O. Box 2303, Kerrville, Texas, 78029, (Fax)(830) 896-7374; freepres ktc.com (Subscription rate:$25/12 issues).Enthusiast of: www.fromthewilderness.com; www.expertwitnessradio.org.
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Comment #33 posted by charmed quark on July 03, 2003 at 18:26:45 PT
schizophernia trends and cannabis
The incidence of schizophrenia is about the same worldwide and has been basically flat. There was a dramatic drop in western Europe and Canada in the admissions for schizophrenia begining during the late 60's and early 70's,
right during the peak of cannabis use. And this drop has continued to the present. But the rate of outpatient treatment has remained flat, so this probably due to better drug treatments.Nicotine use has an even better correlation than cannabis.The stats are all easily avialable on the web.-Pete
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 17:46:14 PT
Virgil
The biggest favor you can do for me is what you just did. Post their articles as links and that extends our reading and also gives them hits to their web site. They do a fine job. We are hitting a point where even the prohibitionist will have to see. There is one common denominator in the countries of the world. We all might think differently about political issues but Cannabis legalization is one issue that we all think the same. That's cool.
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Comment #31 posted by Virgil on July 03, 2003 at 17:39:07 PT
FoM
Until last month there would not have been an article a day on average. In the last few weeks it has taken off- http://www.ukcia.org/news/default.php?start=60 Almost all of the stories today are about Biz, but actually the strongest story for American eyes would be that their drug minister admitted smoking pot in college. Just think about McAfreak or Pee Walters unloading an admission like that.From http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=6190 -- The newly appointed government minister responsible for drugs policy has admitted that she has taken cannabis. Caroline Flint, 41, told BBC News she tried the drug as a student but did not like it.An article that appeared on Friday June 13th said that the mass drug testing at an event using a computerized system for mass testing will not be used. Maybe since I put up the announcement that it would be used, I should put up the link saying they changed their mindFrom http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=6129 - COMPUTERISED drug testing will not be introduced at Chelmsford's V2003 festival, despite being used at a similar event in Staffordshire, say Essex
Police.
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 16:00:36 PT
Virgil
It doesn't seem strange to me that a web site that is in the UK would have many articles up about Biz. That's their country and very important to them and understandable so. I wish the very best for Biz and all her supporters.
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Comment #29 posted by Dan B on July 03, 2003 at 15:42:24 PT
On Psychology: To MJF
MaryJaneFreedom:I understand your assertion that "Whenever you introduce the brain to a new way of thinking, it never forgets." I can, in fact, attest to the truth in this statement. When I smoked cannabis, I did find that my mind became open to thinking about things in ways that I had not previously considered. I began to question the assumptions I held about a lot of issues. Some of these issues had to do with cannabis itself (prohibition, drug war politics, economics, ecology), and other issues were tangential. The main quality I experienced in my thinking was a keen desire to find truth and to put aside my judgement of certain matters until I had enough of the facts.In today's society, we have a set of unwritten rules about how and what an individual should think. We know we have these rules because when a person breaks one of those rules (begins to think about things in another way), he or she is labeled "crazy" or "mentally unstable." Even the term "mental instability" is suspect, for it is based on a model of what the majority has declared to be "stable thinking," which is another way of saying "socially-acceptable thinking."Before I continue, I should note that while I do have a B.A. in psychology and two years of graduate school in clinical psychology, I do not have an advanced degree in psychology (my Ph.D. is in creative writing) and am not a licensed psychologist. However, I did learn a great deal about psychology and how the human mind works when that was my field of study. Part of what I learned came from books, but a great deal more came through my interactions with other human beings. You will find that expertise about human behavior is often more a reflection of the extent to which people pay attention to the actions of those around them than a reflection of their educational backgrounds.One thing I learned as a student of clinical psychology is that the behavioral sciences are, at best, inexact. More often, they are downright inaccurate and unreliable. A diagnosis of schizophrenia is often disputed between colleagues, and such a diagnosis often boils down to which psychologist has seniority. If the diagnosis is difficult, imagine the problems with treatment!Is schizophrenia a real condition? Yes. Is it one that is easily identified by a guy sitting in a chair and asking questions? No. That is why I asked (in my post) what measures were used to diagnose schizophrenia. I know that you are sincere when you tell us that you have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and I believe you. However, the diagnosis with schizophrenia itself is suspect, especially since you can write about it with such lucidity. I have known people who were perfectly normal (just thought about things differently than the mainstream) and were diagnosed with schizophrenia. This, I feel, is the real injustice, and this (I believe) is what was going on in these studies.Were these studies double-blind? No one had said so. Were proper screening techniques used to differentiate between groups, or was such differentiation based solely on self-reporting? If a person does suffer from schizophrenia, how reliable can a self-report from that person be? What are the biases of the researchers, and did those biases have an effect on the diagnoses and the outcome of the research, whether intentional or not? A short review of the literature these researchers used in preparation for their study would be quite informative in terms of showing us where their biases lie. Still, nothing of the sort is mentioned here. In short, there are many unanswered questions about all of the above-mentioned studies, and I think it is important that we do question these results until those questions are answered. If these studies showed that cannabis users have long-term neurological impairment (they do not) or showed some physical manifestation of psychological trauma (they do not), that would be one thing. But we are talking about psychology--an inexact, highly subjective subject of study that, in my opinion (and many others' opinions), does not meet the basic requirements for hard science. If we use interviews and questionnaires to determine a person'e mental state then we are not basing our claims on anything more than conjecture. That subjectivity and conjecture is one reason why I left the study of psychology. I hope all of this makes some sense. And, I am sincerely sorry for any psychological troubles you may be encountering. I do wish you the best.Dan B
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Comment #28 posted by Virgil on July 03, 2003 at 12:58:09 PT
Another Biz Ivol story
It is kind of strange that UKCIA has 13 articles up for July 03. Here is an update on Biz Ivol- http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=6186
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Comment #27 posted by Virgil on July 03, 2003 at 12:14:57 PT
TomPaine article- 45 lbs. MJ for $20
This article- http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/8209 - has the following paragraph. If I lived in Mexico, I would be eating mj for cereal. Why is there no news from Mexico? Surely they have a website. The worst thing about prohibition in my life is the expense. Am I to be especially grateful tomorrow for the Nazis that protect me?Here's why, according to White. A 45-pound bale of marijuana that costs $20 to buy from a Mexican farmer may be worth as much as $500 by the time it reaches Tucson. Once it's broken down and sold on the streets of, say, New York, each pound could be worth more than $2,000. Getting a share of that money has tempted more than one Tucson resident.
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 11:59:16 PT
puff_tuff
Thanks for the link. I read the article but I didn't really understand it. Is it suppose to be a little funny?
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Comment #25 posted by puff_tuff on July 03, 2003 at 11:45:08 PT
Off-Topic
A great article about Canadian Cannabis lawyer Alan YoungJuly 3, 2003 In contempt of court The law is only one means to this lawyer's ends BY CARL WARREN
Eye Magazine (Toronto)
Eye Magazine
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Comment #24 posted by Jose Melendez on July 03, 2003 at 11:25:40 PT
yeah, right; whatever.
"You can deny it as much as you want but this drug does cause metal illness in many of it's users."I'm guessing you mean mental illness. Sorry, even if schizophrenia or depression were caused by smoked marijuana, it is still not a legitimate reason to keep it illegal, MJF. Of course, if I'm wrong on that guess, then yes, if cannabis use promotes rusting, or any other metallic sickness, then by all means, lock us all up to protect the children.A significant percentage of caffeine, alcohol and tobacco users may also have mental problems, they may indeed be self medicating to the point of abuse, yet they should most certainly NOT be thrown in jail or fined..." Whenever you introduce the brain to a new way of thinking, it never forgets. "Hmmm... sounds, ummm; made up, and irrelevant."Someone can continue going on with their normal lives, but there are some that get traped in the cycle. "And what of it? Would you insist on the status quo, where anti-drug ads increase demand for marijuana? It's already two to three times the price of gold... T-Raped, indeed. Only if the "T" Stands for Truth.
How to Arrest Prohibition
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 11:06:25 PT
MaryJaneFreedom
I'm really sorry to read that. I'm not young and have known many people over the years that have used Cannabis and from my personal knowledge it hasn't hurt anyone I know. That's only from my experience and not a medical opinion.
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Comment #22 posted by MikeEEEEE on July 03, 2003 at 11:04:13 PT
Psycho-reactive drugs
The mentally ill should stay away from psycho-reactive drugs. More, they should stay away from that drug named alcohol, it tends to cause aggression.The mentally ill are a very small percentage of society, they should police themselves.
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Comment #21 posted by MaryJaneFreedom on July 03, 2003 at 10:59:45 PT
Marijuana gave me Schizophrenia
You can deny it as much as you want but this drug does cause metal illness in many of it's users. Whenever you introduce the brain to a new way of thinking, it never forgets. Someone can continue going on with their normal lives, but there are some that get traped in the cycle.
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Comment #20 posted by E_Johnson on July 03, 2003 at 10:58:22 PT
His email addresss
Write the man yourselves:robin.murray iop.kcl.ac.uk
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 10:53:38 PT
One More Comment
I just sent Richard an email to see if the list could get up and running soon for CNews. I think it would be beneficial and I will let you all know when it is set up!
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 10:45:24 PT
Thanks Druid
I saw the news about the nurses association and it is good news. I wish I could find an article to post about it but so far I haven't been able to find one.
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Comment #17 posted by Druid on July 03, 2003 at 10:39:40 PT
Good News!
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2003American Nurses Association Calls for Patient Access to Medical
Cannabis/Marijuana.Patients Out of Time, represented by the non-profit's President, Mary Lynn
Mathre, RN, MSN, CARN, testified on Thursday, June 26 at the American Nurses
Association's 2003 House of Delegates Meeting. Held at the Omni Shoreham
Hotel in Washington, DC from June 24-27, Nurse Mathre had come a long way
when she stood and addressed the Delegates. In 1994 "ML" met with District Presidents of the Virginia Nurses
Association (VNA) and presented a science based introduction on the merits
of therapeutic cannabis. They asked Mathre to draft a position paper on the
subject that was approved by the association in 1994 and 1995. Follow up
letters from Patients Out of Time to other state nursing associations has
resulted in those of HI, MS and NM among a total of 11 issuing similar
documents. The American Public Health Association and the National Nurses
Society on Addictions, among dozens of professional health care groups (see
list at ) have issued similar "white papers."In 1995 the influential New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) adopted
VNA's position paper and petitioned the ANA to adopt VNA policy. In 1996 ANA
declined to adopt the VNA position but did agree that Registered Nurses
should receive science-based education about therapeutic cannabis and that
it should to be continuously studied in "controlled clinical trials."This year the NYSNA again submitted a resolution concerning medical cannabis
and they asked Mathre to speak on behalf of the proposed policy change.
"Nurses provide direct care to patients and we are above all else patient
advocates. This resolution is not a policy change that is in any form a
departure from our professional goals and ethics. This resolution in fact
validates our commitment to the patient and our communal commitment to
providing the most appropriate care."The resolution passed overwhelmingly.
Providing Patients Safe Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis June 2003Therefore Be It Resolved That the American Nurses Association will:1. Support research in controlled investigational trials on the
therapeutic efficacy of marijuana/cannabis, including alternative methods of
administration.2. Support the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic
marijuana/cannabis under appropriate prescriber supervision.3. Support the ability of health care providers to discuss and/or
recommend the medicinal use of marijuana without the threat of intimidation
or penalization.4. Support legislation to remove criminal penalties including arrest
and imprisonment for bona fide patients and prescribers of therapeutic
marijuana/cannabis.5. Support federal and state legislation to exclude marijuana/cannabis
from classification as a Schedule I drug.6. Support and encourage the education of registered nurse regarding
current, evidence-based therapeutic use of marijuana/cannabis.Contact:
Al Byrne,
Patients Out of Time,
al medicalcannabis.com,
(434) 263-4484,
(434) 263-6753 faxFish Pond Plantation
1472 Fish Pond Rd.,
Howardsville, VA 24562
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Comment #16 posted by 420toker on July 03, 2003 at 10:38:31 PT
Teenage insanity
It has already been determined that at the age of puberty till adulthood the human can be basically insane. Its just the way it is, the mind starts making very schizophrenic connection at an astounding rate and as the mind gets older it starts disconecting the ones that dont do much. I saw the article reported on cnn I believe about 3 months ago. With the definition of insanity so applicable to so much of the population, how can they say anyone can become insane with cannabis.
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Comment #15 posted by druid on July 03, 2003 at 10:38:22 PT
Souder Asks FDA for Full Truth about Marijuana
By David Brody, Washington, D.C., correspondentA U.S. congressman is calling on the FDA to set the record straight on so-called medical marijuana.Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., has written a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling on the agency to do a better of job of educating the public on the facts about marijuana. Some say pot alleviates pain. The congressman wants the record to be set straight.For years, Souder notes, we've heard marijuana supporters say the drug helps medical conditions like nausea and pain. But rarely do we hear the other side — the fact that marijuana causes depression and anxiety and can lead to short-term memory loss."There are so many questions that exist today surrounding this issue that I think it's very appropriate that Congressman Souder ask for the FDA to do this," said Judy Kremer, of the group Educating Voices.Yet there's disagreement over the government's position. Three years ago, the Institute of Medicine did a scientific report on medical marijuana and concluded that the drug does alleviate pain. Alan St. Pierre, a spokesman for the pro-marijuana group NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), said that should suffice."The congressman need only to go across the street to the Library of Congress to read the most definitive report — up to date — on it," St. Pierre said. "The idea that we would have to have the FDA look at it three or four years later seems a bit of a waste of taxpayers money at this juncture."But Kremer said it's the FDA's role to prevent patients from being misled and that the first report is incomplete. What's left out is how marijuana effects people's lives."It's very, very dangerous to be suggesting that this is a medicine and that it should be taken by people who are ill," Kremer said.The FDA said it won't comment until it has reviewed the congressman's letter.Souder was traveling on official business and was unavailable for comment. He said in his letter that, since this is a medical issue, the FDA must step up to the plate and not let the Drug Enforcement Administration be the only voice of reason.http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0026735.html
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 10:27:08 PT
One More Comment
I'm sorry if I sound down. I shouldn't let the lack of good news bother me. I will celebrate this holiday weekend with my husband just because we have the time to relax and that makes me happy. As far as this article goes they don't ask enough questions. I wish they would ask a Cannabis consumer if they are paranoid. I then wish they would ask them why they are paranoid if the person answers yes. Fear of being arrested is a very scary thought. It is normal to be scared and paranoid if you know that there are those who would just love to lock everyone up. That is a real issue and not an illusion.
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Comment #13 posted by Arthropod on July 03, 2003 at 10:14:41 PT:
Which brings to mind a good question...
Is it still paranoia if there really are people out to get you? I've had so many friends accuse me of being paranoid ever since I started smoking cannabis, but yet these are the same people that I won't see again for years. Why? Because these same friends are the people who were arrested for posession of a quarter pound, all over a joint. They were walking down the maint street of my small town smoking a joint, and got stopped and searched. I know the police are going to come for me eventually, but I'd rather not hasten the day.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 10:02:20 PT
Dan
That was funny! Thanks.
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Comment #11 posted by Dan B on July 03, 2003 at 09:51:57 PT
Thrilled About My New Body
I have smoked marijuana on occasion since I was 16, and I have to tell you that I am absolutely thrilled with my new breasts. I have wanted them for some time, and I am glad to see that they are finally growing as the prohibitionists promised. I am also happy to say that I have completely dislodged my mind from reality and am, I believe, the better for it. Reality is such a drag. Speaking of drag--just think how good I'll look in drag now that my new breasts are growing in. I'll have to shave them, though. . . . but seriously folks, those of you who point out that the mentally ill tend to self-medicate are right on target. In addition, we must consider what measures the doctors are using to diagnose schizophrenia. It is well known, for example, that one of the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia is (surprise!) paranoia--a symptom that can easily be diagnosed in one who correctly believes that others are out to get him or her. There is ample evidence that cannabis users have every right to be paranoid. In fact, in the current legal and social climate, it makes more sense for cannabis users to be paranoid than for them to not be paranoid. While a doctor (e.g., researcher) may view such paranoia as evidence of delusion, we know that it is simply evidence of common sense.I could go on, but I need to meet my wife for lunch soon. More later.Dan B
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Comment #10 posted by cloud7 on July 03, 2003 at 09:43:08 PT
rebuttal
I think the best rebuttal I have read to this argument was a post here a while back. Im not sure it was this site though. The argument was that in 1920 virtually no one used marijuana. Now, I think the latest number was about 1 out of every three people has used marijuana. But the rate of schizophrenia has not massively increased despite the massive increase in marijuana use.
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Comment #9 posted by Virgil on July 03, 2003 at 09:39:52 PT
A house has walls, windows, and doors
Why these people insist on trying to look through walls when we tell them to look through the windows is beyond me. And if they would not insist on locking the doors and hiding the keys, I would just let them continue to look at the walls and make the view from the window an ever fading memory.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 09:31:47 PT
Thanks for All Your Comments
Finding news that is new and interesting is hard because of the holidays. We won't be celebrating the 4th because I just don't know what to celebrate. That is sad. On the news they are talking about bombs again. That drives me up a wall. Maybe I just don't care much anymore because all this news on bombs etc. just makes people turn on the news and makes the ratings go up. I only switched from Canadian news to see if anything was happening down here and all I see is this bomb story.
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Comment #7 posted by phil_debowl on July 03, 2003 at 09:18:20 PT
Self Medication
It's been known for a very long time, that people with mental illnesses look for ways to self medicate. I even learned this in rehab years ago when my parents thought i had a problem cause i was smoking once a month. To say that cannabis causes this is total BS. Just a little funny story. When i was in there, there was a psychiatrist that told our whole group that he had 2 patients that were men that grew breast becuase cannabis screwed up their hormones. Why do people think it's better to lie, and get caught doing so, than it is to just tell the truth and let people make educated decisions. It makes me sick to see "professionals" just being a lever in the propaganda machine. I would think if I was a "leading psychiatrist", i would want to make sure everything was the truth as not to taint my reputation. I bet he's just considered "leading" to the bush administration.
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on July 03, 2003 at 09:15:08 PT:
Another Theory on Schizophrenia.
"The heroic and pseudo-heroic, when they crack, become paranoid. The ascetic, when he goes to pieces, becomes schizoid. And here we have two correlations that lend further support to the hypothesis that the adolescent is recapitulating the ascetic epoch. The first is that the nor-adrenaline child, representing ontogenetically the Heroic Age, if it goes mad will tend in its specific madness, dementia praecox, the madness of the hero, paranoia. The second is the fact that that the adolescent, in turn, when he goes mad will tend mainly to the specific ascetic madness, the schizophrenia that seems to be a split of the mind brought about by the pressure on it of a code that is conceived to be one, infallable and all-embracing, but which, nevertheless, the individual finds he cannot keep. Here is guilt madness, while in the earlier heroic phase there is the madness brought on by intolerable shame." -The Five Ages of Man: the Psychology of Human History by Gerald Heard, 1963, Chapter 3: The ordeal of adolescence and its specific mental breakdown [Schizophrenia]ego transcendence follows ego destruction, if people get a good guide to lead them through the uncharted waters of consciousness toward a reality which they can embrace.
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Comment #5 posted by BigDawg on July 03, 2003 at 09:12:29 PT
FOM
I guess because it doesn't fit "their" agenda.I have never had the privilage of partaking of the Herb in a place in which there were no legal repercussions. I can only imagine the peace of mind that would be possible in that situation.Another one of my "tiffs" is the claim that "anti-social" behavior (such as withdrawing from the family) is caused by MJ. I asked my mother (a staunch prohibitionist) what exactly MJ did that caused so much harm to me, our family, and society at large. One of her responses was that I became withdrawn. I couldn't believe that she was incapable of seeing that when it is A) against the law and B) looked down upon (unjustly) by family members and society... that becoming withdrawn is a RESPONSE to THEM not something caused by MJ itself.
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Comment #4 posted by darwin on July 03, 2003 at 08:42:27 PT
stupid.....
"He started complaining that his friends were against him and that people were talking about him behind his back."A lot of teenagers feel this way. I remember being paranoid about what people were saying about me in junior high. I didn't smoke pot till college. That's when I gained confidence and my social anxiety vanished. All this research says, is that if you have a history of schizophrenia in your family, don't do drugs of any kind.
As somone who studied Pschology & neuroscience in college, I think that a lot of the psychosis cases this article attributes to cannabis, were actually caused by harder drugs that the patients don't admit to. The rest were cases of genetic inheritance.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 08:39:31 PT
BigDawg
The war on Cannabis is enough to make mentally stable people feel half wacky. Why don't they mention that thinking people see how out of touch the laws are and that can really twist someones mind?
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Comment #2 posted by BigDawg on July 03, 2003 at 08:34:16 PT
Yup....
correlation does not equal causation. They can't HONESTLY say that MJ causes psychosis... but they sure will SUGGEST it.... over and over and over.Of course, anything that is profitable for Corporate America doesn't cause psychosis.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 03, 2003 at 08:25:03 PT
Question
Maybe some people with Schizophrenia are drawn to Cannabis but Cannabis might not be the cause of their mental illness isn't that possible?
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