A Channel 4 documentary entitled “Cannabis Psychosis” has recently highlighted the effects of the long-term use of cannabis and it’s link with mental health. The documentary covered the relationship and the differences between cannabis use in the 1960’s and today. It included interviews with a person admitted to a psychiatric hospital- which he believes to be attributed to cannabis-, cannabis smokers, doctors, psychiatrists, professors, medical consultants, toxicologists, and a couple who now have regrets about letting their child smoke the drug.

The main psychoactive drug in cannabis is delta-9 Tetrahydrocannclonal (THC), which is produced in high amounts of the drug. THC produces extra dopamine in the dopamine neurosis in the substantra nuyra of the midbrain. Dopamine is the chemical in the brain that produces happiness. Similarly this is the sensation users feel when thy are “stoned”. Our brain produces dopamine naturally. The problem is that THC destroys the dopamine neurons in the midbrain and thus retards them.

The amount of THC in cannabis nowadays is increasingly more dangerous. According to Graham Kippling, a drug worker with the NHS in Wolverhampton, “any drug becomes more dangerous when it is more and more refined and purified. I mean, cocaine is known to be very dangerous, but if you go to where they make it- grow it- you’ll find the workers eating the leaves and it helps them work all day. It doesn’t seem to have any detrimental effect in them long-term, but as soon as you start purifying something… you increase the effects and it becomes very toxic and dangerous. It’s the general principle with drugs.”

Cannabis is now often forcibly grown which has resulted in an increase of THC in the plant. This has mainly been a result of demand. The amount of THC in cannabis varies. In the 1960’s cannabis was a relatively mild drug and contained about 0- .75% THC. Nowadays the average amount of THC in cannabis is between 4-5%. There are even some forms that contain between 10-30% THC e.g. “skunk”, “black Moroccan”.

The documentary was very informative on the broad debate on cannabis but went into particular detail between the links between the drug and psychosis. “Cannabis psychosis” or “toxic psychosis” results when a smoker has smoked too much of the drug. Since the 1970’s scientists have been studying the connection between dopamine malfunction- which cannabis allegedly produces- and the two major central nervous system disorders- Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s Disease. The Doctors and Professors in the documentary said that while there may be some links between the other main ingredient in cannabis- cannibidol or CND (which is the opposite to THC) which can have medicinal qualities with illnesses such as epilepsy there is a great need for research in the area. Drugs that produce extra dopamine “are likely to make you psychotic” according to a specialist in Lambeth Hospital in London. “You don’t go psychotic for cannabis after taking the drug after a couple of months. Persistently it seems to induce a change in the chemical transition in the brain which makes the brain much more sensitive”, he said.

While it has been proven that people’s genes determine to a large extent whether they develop schizophrenia, with cannabis users and schizophrenia the link seems to be unnecessary. Over the last few months’ studies have come out that studied whether there is a link between cannabis smokers and psychosis in later life. In the case of Lambeth Hospital’s psychiatric wing eighty per cent of people admitted with psychosis smoke cannabis. The link, conclusively proven, will come as no surprise to doctors. For its population South London now has more cannabis smokers than Amsterdam does.

According to Dr. Zemin Atakin, a Consultant Psychiatrist in Lambeth Hospital “being suspicious, being paranoid is not pleasant at all. It can be extremely painful and distressing to the patient and those who are around them. I’ve known patients who try to close their ears to not hear voices. Of course you can’t stop the voices by closing your ears. Some clients listen to loud music. Its painful to them and it’s very painful for us to watch them.”

According to Graham Kippling there have been a lot of articles in papers published recently which have shown “more and more strength for the hypothesis that cannabis use, particularly if started as a teenage person- at that sort of time- and continues unabated, there is a very stronger risk of mental illness developing- psychotic conditions and schizophrenia. And people are really unaware of this effect perhaps until they stop using cannabis. They might use it for years and they get thrown into prison and they can’t get cannabis. They find that when they withdraw from cannabis they get very irritable, short- tempered and even psychotic… It stays in the system after regular use for about a month.”

Mr. Kippling was expressing his personal opinion though, and when pushed on the question of whether a medical condition such as Cannabis Psychosis officially existed he say no. He though believes there is such a condition; “It’s the sort of thing where you get a few addiction people, psychiatrists in a setting, you will find some disagreement but they’d all generally agree that it does lead to mental health problems.” He is definitely against legislation and draws the comparison between Cannabis Psychosis and alcohol; “If you’re drunk you’re psychotic. It’s temporary induced psychosis. Lack of insight really. Your behaviour is out of the norm, it tends to run against all the norms of behaviour in society and you have no insight into how your behaviour, and what effect you’re having on other people. You’re psychotic.”

Governments recognise that with all drugs the best prevention is through education.

MR MC DOWELL OF COURSE HAS THE PERFECT LIFE AND WOULDNT NEED A JOINT, I WONDER DOES HE CONDEMN ALL THE POLITICIANS AND GARDAI WHO HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH DRINK DRIVING ?

PEOPLE SAY IT IS A GATEWAY DRUG AND MAYBE IT IS FOR SOME BUT FOR THE MAJORITY THEY JUST LIKE A SMOKE !

BTW I’m starting a debate on Comedy – what people find funny, not funny etc….see my John of Dublin link or http://earthanduniverse.blogspot.com

Would love everyone’s views.

John

Drugs make people boring: I met a woman recently who went to Miami for New Years she had a great time sitting in her hotel room smoking rock.

Sounds like a crap holiday to me, but I guess it takes all sorts to make a world.

This would have been a better article if it was abot rock cocaine.

“Like many of my middle-class and increasingly middle-aged peers, I have smoked the occasional rock of cocaine. So when Michael McDowell said last week that “everybody who freebases in a social context is participating on the fringe of a world where gangsters are shooting each others’ heads off”, I had to examine my conscience. …”