A new study published has indicated that there is no significant association between cannabis use and psychosis.
Historically and anecdotally, there has been a long link between the use of cannabis and the idea that it may cause psychosis.
As the strength of cannabis has risen over the past decades via an increased level of THC, there have been questions over whether this has been part of the reason for the negative symptoms that can accompany cannabis.
There are also some links between cannabis and schizophrenia, particularly for people who begin using the drug at a young age.
For the researchers of this study their aim was to examine the association between cannabis use and the incidence of psychotic disorders for people who are clinically at a high risk of suffering from psychosis.
To do so, the researchers assessed individuals who were at high risk of psychosis against those who were considered healthy via a Cannabis Experience Questionnaire. They were assessed over a period of two years after their baseline results were taken.
The psychosis symptoms were measured using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States criteria.
Results of the study showed that during the follow-up 16.2% of the high-risk group developed psychosis but that there was “no significant association between cannabis use at baseline and either transition to psychosis, the persistence of symptoms or functional outcome.”
The findings of the latest study back up research published in the New Zealand Medical Journal from September 2022. This study found that those with a history of cannabis use do not exhibit more severe symptoms of psychosis than those with no history of regular use.
Ultimately, they concluded: “They concluded: “Collectively, the results suggest that while those who were regular cannabis users reported a significantly greater number of symptoms than non-users, the symptom profile between the two groups did not differ, showing that there was no evidence of greater ‘severity’ among regular cannabis users.”
