New research about psychosis and young people was recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). It shows that the rate of new psychotic disorders in people between the ages of 14 and 20 has increased significantly since previous generations. Most interestingly, the culprit looks like it’s cannabis.
Psychosis can include delusions and hallucinations
Psychosis is a condition in which an individual has delusions (false, fixed ideas of a paranoid, grandiose, or erotic nature) and/or hallucinations (voices in their head, commenting on them or commanding them to do things). The person can also have a flattening of their mood, low energy, a lack of motivation to do anything, social withdrawal, and difficulties with basic self-care.
Although no clear causal relationship has been established yet, there’s a very strong association. In fact, neuroimaging shows that what happens in the brain when a person uses cannabis is the same thing that happens when they have schizophrenia.
What young people don’t realize when they use cannabis is that they’re playing with fire. The brain is still developing until age 25 and if someone is using these substances, especially before they’re 20, they’re taking a huge risk. The developing brain is vulnerable to any type of onslaught and can be adversely affected by a substance like cannabis.
Cannabis has no mental health benefits
Many people believe that cannabis is good for us. They’re convinced that it helps with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and insomnia. In fact, multiple studies have shown that cannabis has no benefit for any mental health conditions. There’s no evidence that it can alleviate mood or stress symptoms or improve sleep. In fact, it has been shown to impair cognition.
The problem is that the cannabis industry has a powerful marketing lobby and it promotes cannabis as “medicinal.” Sadly, the research has demonstrated that the supposed positive effects of cannabis have not been borne out in reality.
Many people believe that cannabis is harmless. The fact that it’s legal makes them think, incorrectly, that it’s perfectly safe. They think that they can use as much as they want, as often as they want. But cigarettes and alcohol are also legal and neither of those substances are harmless. Excessive smoking is associated with a long list of adverse health consequences and excessive use of alcohol can lead to cancer, heart disease and premature death. People have to understand that despite being a legal substance, cannabis isn’t safe.
Cannabis can heighten feelings of anxiety and agitation. It can induce paranoia and interfere with sleep. At worst, it appears that the use of cannabis can potentially lead to psychosis in some people.
Cannabis use can lead to complacency
On a side note, I’ve been reading a lot of dystopian fiction lately and I noticed an interesting trope in this type of literature: the oppressors almost always provide the populace with a mind-altering drug. The oppressors frame it as an act of kindness so that the citizens can have a reprieve from their hardships. In truth, the drug keeps the populace tuned out, docile, and more easily manipulated.
When the population is numbed out on this drug, no one questions authority or challenges the toxic norms. No one sees the awful truth about their lives or stands up to the oppressive system.
If we look at addiction through this lens, being empowered in our lives and being effective agents of positive change comes from being fully awake, aware, informed and engaged; not numb, tuned out, and distracted.
The serious health risks of cannabis
What we should understand is that cannabis poses potentially serious health risks. The tragedy is that a young person might only use cannabis for a short time, but the damage could be permanent. A few months of cannabis use could potentially derail decades of that person’s life.
I feel very sad for those young people who’ve lost their future over the use of cannabis. To me, it’s clear that the risks far outweigh any potential benefits, especially in light of the scientific research available today.
The truth about cannabis is that it provides no real relief of any mental health symptoms. It just temporarily numbs the pain. Given the very real risk of developing long-term psychotic symptoms, the question every young person has to ask themselves is whether or not it’s worth it.
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