Study Finds Genetic Links Between Schizophrenia And Cannabis Use
Biotechnology News
By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Genes that increase the risk of a person developing schizophrenia may also increase the chance they will use cannabis, researchers said on Tuesday after studying more than 1,000 users of the drug. The results chime with previous studies linking schizophrenia and cannabis, but suggest the association may be due to common genes and might not be a causal relationship where cannabis use leads to increased schizophrenia risk. Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the world, and its use is higher among people with schizophrenia than in the general population. "We know that cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia.
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Risk of psychosis from cannabis use lower than originally thought, say scientists
Scientists have shown that the risk of developing psychosis, such as hallucinations, from cannabis use is small compared to the number of total users. Ref. Source 2a.
Cannabis consumption increases violent behavior in young people in psychiatric care. A new study on cannabis use that involved 1,136 patients (From 18 to 40 years of age) with mental illnesses who had been seen five times during the year after discharge from a psychiatric hospital demonstrates that sustained used of cannabis is associated with an increase in violent behavior in young people. Moreover, the association between persistent cannabis use and violence is stronger than that associated with alcohol or cocaine. Source 8a.
While some aspects of using cannabis can be shown to help some people it has also been shown to help promote dangerous reactions in others. Knowing that this can cause violence in some it should be used wisely and if one shows signs of violence then it should be taken away and that person not allowed access to it.