-Caveat Lector-
Scientists say cannabis can drive users insane
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2001/0201/breaking9.htm
Last updated: 08:32
Far from being a relatively harmless "soft" drug, cannabis can drive
people temporarily insane as well as harming the heart, lungs and immune
system, British scientists said today.
Studies showed that the drug can have serious effects on both mental and
physical health.
Dr Andrew Johns, from the Institute of Psychiatry in London, said
regular cannabis use led to acute psychological problems in a high
proportion of people.
One study found 15 per cent of cannabis users identified psychotic
symptoms such as hearing voices or irrational feelings of persecution.
A number of reports, reviewed by Dr Johns in the British Journal of
Psychiatry, suggested the drug could induce psychosis in people with no
history of severe mental illness.
Heavy cannabis use could lead to a state resembling acute schizophrenia.
In this case the drug was thought to trigger off an underlying illness.
Cannabis was also associated with high rates of other forms of mental
illness, such as adjustment disorder and major depression.
It appeared to worsen the condition of people already suffering from
schizophrenia, with users experiencing more and earlier psychotic
relapses.
Dr Johns wrote: "An appreciable proportion of cannabis users report
short-lived adverse effects, including psychotic states following heavy
consumption, and regular users are at risk of dependence.
"People with major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia are especially
vulnerable in that cannabis generally provokes relapses and aggravates
existing symptoms.
"Health workers need to recognise, and respond to, the adverse effects
of cannabis on mental health."
In another review published by the journal, Prof Heather Ashton of the
University of Newcastle said cannabis affected almost every bodily
system. As well as producing severe anxiety, panic, paranoia and
psychosis in high doses, it also impaired memory and concentration and
had a number of physical effects. These included heart problems that
might be serious for people with pre-existing cardiac disease and
suppression of the immune system. In addition, smoking between three and
four cannabis reefers a day produced the same risk of bronchitis and
emphysema as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes.
Tar from a cannabis cigarette contained higher levels of some
cancer-triggering chemicals than tobacco smoke. Chronic cannabis use
also appeared to cause a risk of complications in pregnancy
and childbirth, said Prof Ashton.
But cannabis and its derivatives had promising potential as a treatment
for a large number of medical conditions, said Dr Philip Robson, also
writing in the journal.
Chemicals in the drug had been shown to have therapeutic effects in
nausea caused by anti-cancer drugs, multiple sclerosis, loss of
appetite, pain, glaucoma, insomnia, anxiety and depression, epilepsy,
and asthma.
There was also evidence from animal studies that cannabis derivatives
can protect against cancer.
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