Frequent Use Of High-Potency Marijuana May Be Tied To Increased Risk Of Having A Psychotic Episode

The Washington Post (2/18, Ingraham) “Wonkblog” reports that a study published online Feb. 16 in The Lancet Psychiatry suggests that “frequent use of high-potency weed may be linked to an increased risk of having a psychotic episode.” The study also indicates that “milder strains of marijuana, even when used heavily, don’t appear to carry any increased risk of psychosis.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after comparing data on “410 South London patients sent to the hospital for a first-episode psychotic incident” and “370 control individuals living in the same area.”

The Fox News (2/17) website reports that individuals “who used the potent pot every day had a fivefold increased risk of developing psychosis,” but “the use of hash, a milder form of marijuana, wasn’t linked to a heightened risk of psychosis.” Fox News explained that “hash has a higher concentration of cannabidiol (CBD) than more potent forms, which have a higher percentage of marijuana’s psychotropic ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).” The effects of THC are believed to be “offset” by CBD.

Related Links:

— “Potent weed is worse for you than the mild stuff — and it’s hard to find anything else these days,” Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, February 17, 2015.

Posted in In The News.