Top European Research facility: Super strong cannabis caused 1/4 new psychosis cases

Research from the respected Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London shows that a quarter of new cases of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia could be the direct result of smoking extra-strong varieties of cannabis.

I posted this peer reviewed research in another thread where there is obviously pro legalization bias, the comments were mostly calling the research ''unprofessional'', which is nonsense as the IoPP is a very well internationally respected research organization.

Are there any ATS members that actually respect such research instead of shouting ''propaganda'' at anything that doesn't suit their own agenda?

I think it should be publicised as it is obviously something those contemplating drug use need to know and in order for a cohesive, forward focused caring society.

www.kcl.ac.uk...

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN)* –a School of King’s College London – is Europe’s largest centre for research and postgraduate education in psychiatry, psychology, basic and clinical neuroscience.

We are world-renowned for the quality of our research and, for psychiatry and psychology, we are the most cited research centre outside the US and the second most cited research centre in the world – as ranked by Thomson ISI Essential Science Indicators. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise we were judged to have the highest research power of any UK institution within the areas of psychiatry, neuroscience and clinical psychology.

Our world-class research-led learning experience attracts the very best students from around the world who enjoy unrivalled learning opportunities – supported by strong partnerships with NHS trusts, industry and healthcare organisations.

www.kcl.ac.uk...

This project has been carried out with the support of: 1. The GAP (Genetic and Psychosis) and PUMP study teams, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London; 2. The South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust; 3. Funding was provided by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, SLaM and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London; The Psychiatry Research Trust, the Maudsley Charity Research Fund and by the European Community's Seventh Framework Program under grant agreement No. HEALTH-F2-2009-241909 (Project EUGEI).
Paper reference: Di Forti, M. et al. ‘Proportion of patients in south London with first-episode psychosis attributable to use of high potency cannabis: a case-control study’ published in Lancet Psychiatry DOI: dx.doi.org...(14)00117-5.

www.thelancet.com...

There is another thread on this, which you acknowledge in your OP. The pro-cannabis bias that you mention was just people pointing out the errors, huge bias, and propaganda potential of this very flawed study.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

This is another study that is trying to correlate cannabis use to psychosis without taking into consideration that MAYBE people who are prone to psychosis seek out cannabis (and other drugs) as a form of self-medication. Meaning that the reason psychosis rate is higher among users isn't BECAUSE of cannabis use but cannabis use is a symptom of their potential psychosis. Not surprising. They never want to consider that possibility.

PS. You aren't going to find any more different argument outside of the original thread you posted this in. Your study is flawed, and you will encounter the SAME reasons and refutations that you found in the other thread.

Its obvious that America needs to rid herself of Alcohol, tobacco and firearms.

Alcohol is the major cause of social breakdowns, violence and diseases.

There are many people that have mental problems before they used tHC.

I believe ganja can cause psychosis to activate but i think its many other systems that actually build it up along the way with our growth in this messed up world. I also believe many of these research knows this very well but some of them use it as propaganda to bring even more fear towards ganja and its users.
Would be interesting to see study between countries that have it legalized ganja and whom have it as illegal drug, i just guess that those countries whom have it as legal, do not get as much psychosis cases than them whom country treat it unnatural ways.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

No surprise here...

I have seen many who are sensitive to psychosis become that because of strong cannabis, so I can confirm that.

I`m actual really surprised they only just came to that conclusion, because I can`t even count it on two hands about how many I have been seen ending up in a mental hospital purely because of strong cannabis.

Being from The Netherlands we were able to buy it legally for several decades already.

a reply to: Aleister

Not one of those comments used any rational basis for their propaganda claims.

Thank you for your comment, some rationality and sanity at last.

I too have worked in front line mental health services and have been part of psychiatric evaluations of those that went over the edge due to drug use and can also confirm this.

There is lots of research confirming this for many years but this study is very conclusive and is definitive in proving the link to such drugs.

originally posted by: BornAgainAlien
a reply to: theabsolutetruth

No surprise here...

I have seen many who are sensitive to psychosis become that because of strong cannabis, so I can confirm that.

I`m actual really surprised they only just came to that conclusion, because I can`t even count it on two hands about how many I have been seen ending up in a mental hospital purely because of strong cannabis.

Being from The Netherlands we were able to buy it legally for several decades already.

originally posted by: theabsolutetruth
a reply to: Aleister

Not one of those comments used any rational basis for their propaganda claims.

Bullcrap. Here is a great refutation of your study, complete with links to other studies and all.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: theabsolutetruth



Whereas I do not know that I can agree with the findings in the article with regards to causing 25% of new psychosis, I do have the following input.

The stuff today is outlandishly strong compared to the stuff from twenty years ago. Once it was a nice, mellow, and giggly thing, today it CAN be like being hit over the head with a sledgehammer.

Back in the 90's, when I was in SF and it was flowing like water, I enjoyed it. Up until the last six months, I hadn't really had any for nearly fifteen years. What I've had today is a force to be reckoned with, but not one that cannot be dealt with and tempered.

I feel that what is being observed is the lack of moderation and conservative intake. Just as every year precious darlings drink themselves to death over a night or weekend when first in college, such can happen with the new strength of the strains available today. When I first moved back to Colorado during the summer, I bought some. The first few experiences I had were not what I desired at all. Far too heavy handed. So, I pulled back. Significantly decreased the intake. Went with edibles over inhalation, which yields an entirely different result.


Once we grow up, remove ridiculously outdated taboos, and learn how to handle things...we'll communally see that almost all things in moderation have the possibility of adding to a rich and pleasant life.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

This thread is about this research.

You called THIS research ''flawed'' and ''propaganda''.

Now clarify your rationale for such.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

Whatever that means. Are you going to actually refute the claims in that post or what? Heck I have a post before the one you just responded to that I'm waiting for you to address.

As its illegal and unregulated most users have no choice about what they are buying, our country is poorly educated when it comes to drugs. drugs are BAD! drugs KILL! drugs RUIN! lives. legalize it, educate the people, give them choices, let the people grow!!

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

There is no mention in this study, that they took a detailed medical history of the participants. They simply invited 461 people who had already been diagnosed. So there's no way to actually tell if a combination of their meds caused this issue, or what role specifically in plaid in the onset of the mental illness.

No tests were done in the lab to confirm these hypothesis. Furthermore, the study's findings indicate

Interpretation
The association between cannabis use and increased risk of developing schizophrenia-like psychosis has been consistently reported by prospective epidemiological studies.2,3 Our previous study was the first to show that use of high-potency (skunk-like) cannabis carries the highest risk for psychotic disorders. In the present larger sample analysis, we replicated
our previous report and showed that the highest probability to suffer a psychotic disorder isin those who are daily users of high potency cannabis. Indeed, skunk use appears to contribute to 24% of cases of first episode psychosis in south London

May have contributed. They don't know that it carries the 'highest' risk as there is no biological testing which proves it had anything to do with the illness itself.

Furthermore, they didn't even track how much cannabis was being consumed.

A possible limitation of our study is the absence of data on number of joints or grams used per day. However, because we collected information about use over a period of years and not about present use, the reliability of such detailed information would probably have been confounded by recall bias to a greater extent than was the general description of pattern of use that we obtained. The fact that we were able to collect detailed information on other environmental factors and control for their potential confounding effects is a key strength of our study

This study is NOT peer reviewed.

So I have my issues with it. Is it good that we are studying this? Yes, it is. There's plenty of good studies out that there show a problem with cannabis use in teenagers and developing brain.

This study is far from anything that shows an actual problem. Correlations do NOT mean causation.

~Tenth

a reply to: Krazysh0t

You are refuting THIS research yet you refuse to give any rationale.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: theabsolutetruth
a reply to: Aleister

Not one of those comments used any rational basis for their propaganda claims.

Bullcrap. Here is a great refutation of your study, complete with links to other studies and all.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Thank you thank you thank you for linking the previous thread!

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

Till I quit, I have used it for nearly twenty years and still know people who use it daily for 25 years + now.

In the late 80s we already had very strong cannabis over here and I`m able to produce it if I want too.

Not all people are sensitive to it, but the ones who are will become psychotic over time, only with some it can take a few years...I even helped people stop being psychotic by telling them to quit smoking it, because I told them that was the cause.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

I'm refuting it because it is flawed. That is my rationale. I've given reasons why it is flawed which you are pretending like I never posted and instead choose to deflect away. Still waiting for you to address my first post in this thread. But hey, if you get around to addressing tothetenthpower's points from the previous thread first I won't mind.

You seem to think that you can post a scientific study into a thread and that automatically debunks anyones attempts to refute it because we aren't scientists. SURPRISE! What we are doing is called peer review and our opinions are just as valid as a scientists, provided they are well reasoned and not fallacious. Plus you aren't a scientist either. Using your same arguments, you can't know the study is flawed either.

What researchers have learned from these studies is that cannabis can potentially cause psychosis, but only in a select group of people who are naturally vulnerable.

www.heretohelp.bc.ca...

A Canadian study.
It's still no where near as bad as alcohol, and knowing a lot of users, I have never in my life, seen more than 2 people have a bad experience. One was already prone to panic attacks, and the other had never tried the stuff before.

Most people's paranoia comes from worrying if other people know that you're high. Once that stigma of "doing something illegal" is gone, so is the paranoia.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

This research is peer reviewed, it is professional research and accounts for adjustments for such areas as previous psychosis, amounts and types of drugs, alcohol etc.

If there were any points that needed addressed in the research they would have been flagged. The Lancet values it's reputation and rejects shoddy research.

This research is legitimate and despite those that don't like it, true.

www.thelancet.com...

Reputation and impact
The Lancet has an Impact Factor of 39·207. The journal is currently ranked second out of 150 journals in the general medicine category (2013 Journal Citation Reports®, Thomson Reuters 2014).

Fast-track publication
For papers, which will usually be primary research, judged to warrant fast dissemination, The Lancet will publish a peer-reviewed manuscript within 4 weeks of receipt.

www.thelancet.com...

A theoretical explanation of why skunk might have been
preferred by patients with first-episode psychosis is that,
when they began to experience their illness prodrome, these
individuals might have sought increased concentrations of
THC to self-medicate. However, experimental studies show
that THC induces psychotic symptoms, while cannabidiol
ameliorates them and reduces anxiety.16–19 That people who
already have prodromal symptoms would choose a type of
cannabis that is high in THC and has little cannabidiol
(such as skunk), which might exacerbate their symptoms,
rather than a cannabidiol-containing type (such as hash),
would seem counterintuitive.