Risk for psychiatric illness linked to cannabis use - Congress Highlights - Brief Article

AORN Journal, Jan, 2003

Three studies suggest a link between cannabis use and risk for developing depression and schizophrenia later in life, according to a Nov 22, 2002, Medscape Medical News article. An Australian study of 1,601 students from 44 secondary schools found that teenagers, particularly girls, who used cannabis were more likely to develop anxiety or depressive disorders. Weekly cannabis use was found to double this risk, and daily cannabis use was associated with a five-fold increase in risk.

A Swedish survey of male military recruits ages 18 to 20, conducted in 1969 and 1970, found that cannabis use increased the risk of schizophrenia by 30%. The authors of this study suggest that occasional cannabis use has few harmful effects, but repeated use poses a serious mental health risk, and these risks should be acknowledged in light of current movements to liberalize or legalize cannabis use.

A third study, which was conducted in London, found that adolescents who had used cannabis by age 15 were at the greatest risk for developing symptoms of schizophrenia in adulthood. Collectively, these studies point to a need to develop measures to reduce frequent recreational use of the drug by teenagers.

"Cannabis use increases risk of psychiatric illness," Medscape Medical News, http://www.medscope.com (accessed 8 Dec 2002).