cannabisnews.com: Govt: Marijuana Causes Mental Illness 





Govt: Marijuana Causes Mental Illness 
Posted by CN Staff on May 03, 2005 at 16:03:34 PT
By Todd Zwillich
Source: Fox News Network
Children who use marijuana before age 12 are twice as likely to later develop serious mental illness as those who don't try the drug until they're 18, according to a federal report released Tuesday. Bush administration officials pointed to the study as growing evidence that smoking marijuana may cause mental illnesses — including depression, schizophrenia, and suicide attempts — in some people.
But while the association of drug abuse and addiction with mental illness is well known, a causal connection between marijuana smoking and psychiatric disorders is not clear, other experts say.In Tuesday's study, 21 percent of people who reported first using marijuana before age 12 also reported that they later went on to develop signs or symptoms of a serious mental illness. Those who said they used the drug only after age 18 had a 10.5 percent chance of reporting similar problems.The study was based on federal drug use data culled in 2002 and 2003. Other past studies publicized by federal officials Tuesday also point to a connection between marijuana use and the development of mental problems later on."New research being conducted here and abroad illustrates that marijuana use, particularly during the teen years, can lead to depression, thoughts of suicide, and schizophrenia," said White House Drug Czar John P. Walters. "This press conference is a public health warning."Another study highlighted by officials, published in 2001, suggested that people who were not depressed but used marijuana were four times more likely to develop depression years later than those who never used the drug.Is Marijuana Use a Way to 'Self-Medicate' Mental Illness?Researchers have long observed a connection between drug use and mental illness. Many studies show the simultaneous occurrence of mental illness and substance abuse. People with mental illnesses are also known to use drugs to lessen their symptoms, a phenomenon psychiatrists refer to as "self-medicating."But federal officials and some researchers say evidence is accumulating that shows that marijuana can actually cause serious mental illnesses in otherwise well people.According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances have been associated with marijuana use. However, the NIDA says it is not known whether marijuana use is an attempt to self-medicate an already existing mental health problem, or whether marijuana use leads to mental disorders (or both)."The evidence is collectively indicating that there is a causal connection," says Neil McKeganey, PhD, professor of drug misuse at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.McKeganey notes that scientists have not yet uncovered evidence linking marijuana use to the brain changes routinely seen in people who suffer from mental illness. "If we wait until we understand that mechanism, we will lose thousands of young people," he says.But Paul P. Casadonte, MD, a psychiatrist and associate clinical professor at New York University, cautions in an interview that research is not yet strong enough to show a causal link between marijuana use and serious mental disorders. He suggests that such claims by Walters and other administration officials were intended to further the Bush administration's efforts to quell young peoples' marijuana use."That's dangerous territory. It's politics more than science at this point," says Casadonte, who is also director of substance abuse treatment programs at New York Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.Casadonte warns that Tuesday's study of early marijuana use does not necessarily prove that smoking at a young age leads directly to later illness. "We do know that the younger you start, the more likely that there's something mentally wrong with you to begin with. Marijuana has more of an addiction potential than most people want to believe," he says. "But basically we just don't have the science" to claim a causal link with mental illness.Federal officials remain alarmed at high rates of marijuana use in younger and younger U.S. children. According to the NIDA, marijuanais the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S.; nearly 53 percent of Americans who say they've used the drug say they tried it for the first time before age 17.According to data from the CDC, one-tenth of students nationwide had tried marijuana for the first time before age 13. Overall, the rates were higher in males (13 percent) than in females (6 percent).Officials are preparing to launch a national campaign using newspaper and magazine advertisements to draw parents' attention to a link between marijuana use and mental illness.SOURCES: John P. Walters, director, White House Office on Drug Control Policy. Neil McKeganey, PhD, professor of drug misuse, University of Glasgow, Scotland. Paul P. Casadonte, director, Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, New York Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. National Institute on Drug Abuse. CDC. By Todd Zwillich, reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD Source: Fox News Network (US)Author: Todd ZwillichPublished: Tuesday, May 03, 2005Copyright: 2005 FOX News Network, LLC. Website: http://www.foxnews.com/Comments: foxnewsonline foxnews.comRelated Articles: Feds Sound New Warning About Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20616.shtmlWhat's The Drug Czar's Problem?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20610.shtmlDrug Czar Plays Defensehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20597.shtml 
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on May 04, 2005 at 09:03:49 PT
Mental Illness
If John Walters is right why would we put an ill person in jail or cause them more mental stress by policing them? I know he isn't correct but why would jail help? Drug testing is a control mechanism and would cause more stress for a person who is mentally ill.
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Comment #17 posted by b4daylight on May 04, 2005 at 09:03:03 PT
really
Walters downplayed whether the medical use of marijuana undercuts the impact of warnings to young people against pot use.He responded, "We believe that there's a clear distinction" between validated medical benefits and what he said could be "a bunch of ads where people testify that their mother, dying, smoked a joint and was saved, and that means marijuana is medicine.""Your children are being educated," he said of such advertising. "But they're being told lies. And they're being told things that are designed to push a particular agenda which is detrimental to your children, and detrimental to the country." your drug czar. sounds like something he does himself
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on May 04, 2005 at 09:00:30 PT
Jail - Arrests - Stigma - Fear of Arrest
Mental health can be a problem as long as they keep arresting people for the use of this herb!
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Comment #15 posted by schmeff on May 04, 2005 at 08:57:16 PT
Mental Health
The mental health angle this administration keeps trying to push is just like the former Soviet Union putting political dissidents in the gulag for dissent.If you don't accept the neo-con double-speak, you must be crazy...time for your lobotomy.Bush wants to test everyone for mental illness. Those who don't think properly (i.e. those who actually THINK) must be subjected to a mandatory governmentally enforced drug-induced coma, or..."Can't we just shoot 'em, Uncle Dick?"
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Comment #14 posted by cannaman on May 04, 2005 at 07:57:43 PT
Supposed Study
Can anyone including the author of the article tell me the medical or scientific journal where this supposed study was published, otherwise it is just another biased opinion or spin for lack of a better word. Do you think that NIDA has an agenda or how about the professor from Scotland you know the professor of "drug misuse" no agenda or bias there I guess. Weak article, weak minds at work, keep trying to forward that agenda with their so called studies give it a rest already!!!!
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Comment #13 posted by OverwhelmSam on May 04, 2005 at 04:00:55 PT
Just A Note
Hell, just about anything can lead to depression and thoughts of suicide, including overzealous drug czars.Overwhelm Uncle Sam
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Comment #12 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on May 04, 2005 at 00:15:54 PT
A Feeble Attempt By Walters
Walters did not directly address the possibility of confusing cause and effect -- that is, that people with mental problems might be more inclined to use drugs.
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Comment #11 posted by John Tyler on May 03, 2005 at 20:59:53 PT
Mental health again
This is old news. The mental illness angle was raised by researchers with questionable motives a few months back and was thoroughly discredited by various experts, common sense, and in many cases experience. It seems the ONDCP runs propaganda campaigns on some type of budget cycle. We see these several times a year. John Walters makes a speech or two and the media picks up on it and runs some ONDCP pieces. We might even see a few commercials. They weren’t getting traction with the last angle about today’s super weed. Well, think about it. Who would believe that super weed is bad. That’s ridiculous. Ditch weed is bad. Super weed is good. Wonderfully good. First love good. Living your life good. Becoming one with the universe good. But I digress…. So, they had to come up with something new and scary, and they latched onto this bogus body of research and try to pass it off to the public. It's good to see the media questioning their assertions
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Comment #10 posted by stoner spirit on May 03, 2005 at 20:26:10 PT:
The Crazys
Maybe the government and the prohibs have mental illness them selves, they just don't want to admit it. The only thing that's wrong with our youth today is, that they are allways being lied to, and they have to find a way to learn the truths that were hidden from them. The question I ask is, why waist money on such a thing like this drug war or lost cause? This is vary useless and it waists money. I sometimes feel like I have to educate some people on this subject while I'm out of class, or on my way to a class at the community college I attend.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 03, 2005 at 20:16:55 PT
Taylor
Yes it is a very good media day. 
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on May 03, 2005 at 19:22:16 PT
Grab another stomache distress bag.
US AL: LTE: Marijuana Abuse Hurts CommunityPubdate: Wed, 27 Apr 2005Source: Crimson White, The (Edu, Univ of Alabama) 
Authors: Lee Keyes, Dr. Pat Hubbs, Delynne Wilcox (The THC deficient)http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n713/a01.html?397The article begins with this ""How is marijuana use positively improving society?" 
 THEN USES MANY LIES TO DIS THE MIGHTY PLANT."...It affects our entire UA community when we lose a student because of marijuana use. ..."(Lose?)
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Comment #7 posted by Taylor121 on May 03, 2005 at 19:21:42 PT
CNN Article
"The growth in marijuana arrests over the 1990s has not led to a decrease in use or availability, nor an increase in cost," the group said. "Meanwhile, billions are being spent nationally."The report calls for "a national discussion regarding the zealous prosecution of marijuana use and its consequences for allocation of criminal justice resources and public safety.""Law enforcement has focused disproportionately on low-level possession charges as a result of the nation's lack of a thoughtful strategy," it said.--I'm impressed by the articles from Fox News and CNN for having our side of the issue presented. This is a really good media day!
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Comment #6 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on May 03, 2005 at 18:49:45 PT
NIDA studies are biased
I think the federal government should allow independant studies and research instead of coming out with its own NIDA studies. Every time I see an independant wanting to study cannabis the DEA turns them down.
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on May 03, 2005 at 18:09:55 PT
Politics More Than Science
But Paul P. Casadonte, MD, a psychiatrist and associate clinical professor at New York University, cautions in an interview that research is not yet strong enough to show a causal link between marijuana use and serious mental disorders. He suggests that such claims by Walters and other administration officials were intended to further the Bush administration's efforts to quell young peoples' marijuana use."That's dangerous territory. It's politics more than science at this point," says Casadonte, who is also director of substance abuse treatment programs at New York Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.Any thinking individual would have to agree with Dr. Casadonte. Unfortunately, prohibitionists don't meet that criteria. This rehashed tactic of linking cannabis use with mental illness is not meant to quell young peoples' cannabis use but to give the impression that the government actually cares about quelling such use. It is also about silencing the deafening call for both medicinal and recreational cannabis.THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Re-run of Griffin 9/11 Talk on C-SPAN Sat 5/7!!!
http://www.itszone.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=34027Watch/Download David Ray Griffin's CSPAN Lecture on 9/11: A Must See: 
http://mparent7777.blog-city.com/read/1245062.htmMuslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance for 9/11 Truth:
http://mujca.com/UK 9/11 Skeptics Pay Tony Blair A Visit:
http://www.nineeleven.co.uk/sedgefield.htm
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on May 03, 2005 at 18:07:26 PT
Related Article from CNN
Research: Youths Risk Mental Health with Pot UseFrom Paul Courson, CNNTuesday, May 3, 2005 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The earlier a young person uses marijuana the greater the risk for mental health problems later in life, the director of National Drug Control Policy said Tuesday, basing his conclusion on a survey of medical research."We're trying to get out the word that the last 10 years of research have helped to alert us to the use of marijuana in particular is a very dangerous risk for the mental health of our young people," John Walters said at a news conference.He said the conclusion runs against popular culture that often considers marijuana a low-risk recreational drug.Walters cited a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study that found that adults who started using marijuana before age 12 were twice as likely -- 21 percent to 10.5 percent -- to have suffered a serious mental illness in the past year as those who started after 18, according to The Associated Press. People starting as teens also faced a higher risk.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/05/03/pot.risk/
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Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on May 03, 2005 at 17:34:34 PT
The Reality
Government causes mental illness and cannabis is the cure.
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Comment #2 posted by happyplant on May 03, 2005 at 17:17:43 PT
It's really sad.
We wouldn't have to worry about so many kids using cannabis if it were regulated. It's getting way to rediculas with all these one sided studies that the feds put out. Cannabis has been used for thousands of years are they saying that they could of all had mental illness. I think some of these so called mental problems are because of societies inability to see the truth. 
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on May 03, 2005 at 16:12:39 PT
Wow, Fox too!
I can't believe Fox also questioned the latest burst of BS from the feds.  Could the mainstream media finally have reached the saturation point? (maybe the BS got so deep it went over the tops of their boots!)God bless the NYU guy!
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