Skunk linked to huge increase in risk of psychotic disease

[Atlas]

Skunk linked to huge increase in risk of psychotic disease

People who smoke the highly potent form of cannabis known as skunk are almost seven times more likely to develop a psychotic illness than those who use the traditional strength drug, a new study shows for the first time.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent

Published: 8:30AM GMT 01 Dec 2009

skunk

Skunk worse than ordinary hash Photo: Getty

The results are considered particularly worrying as skunk now accounts for around 80 per cent of the street market in cannabis in the United Kingdom.

Scientists at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London made the discovery after studying admissions to hospital for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, paranoia and serious depression.

They found that the patients were seven times more likely to have smoked skunk than ordinary cannabis or hash – and that was on top of the increased risk associated with heavy use of the weaker variety of the drug.

"Our study is the first to demonstrate that the risk of psychosis is much greater among people who are frequent cannabis users, especially among those using skunk, rather than occasional users of traditional hash," said Dr Marta Di Forti.

"Unfortunately, skunk is displacing traditional cannabis preparations in many countries, and the availability of skunk on the UK "street market" has steadily increased over the past six years.

"Public education about the risks of heavy use of high potency cannabis is vital."

Around one per cent of the population in the UK suffer a psychotic illness including hallucinations, paranoia and schizophrenia at some point in their lives

Previous studies have established a direct link between cannabis and psychosis and it is generally thought regular use doubles your chances of developing mental health problems.

Teenage cannabis users are particularly susceptible and have been shown to be more likely to develop paranoid personalities, hallucinatations and even schizophrenia later in life.

While family history is the most significant reason for developing a mental illness, cannabis is thought to act as a trigger for the latent disease.

Scientists believe that the active ingredient THC – or Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – is to blame for the effect.

Old fashioned hash or marijuana contains four per cent THC compared with up to 20 per cent in skunk, a hybrid form of the plant first developed in the Netherlands.

Today's skunk cannabis also contains virtually no traces of another chemical, called CBD (cannabidiol), which appears to counteract the damaging effects of THC in traditional varieties.

Dr Di Forti and her team, which published their results in the British Journal of Psychiatry, collected information from 280 people attending South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust suffering their first symptoms of psychosis.

They found the patients were twice as likely to have used cannabis for more than five years, and six times more likely to use it everyday than a control group of healthy individuals.

Moreover, among those who had used cannabis, patients with psychosis were almost seven times more likely to use skunk.

She said: "Psychosis was associated with more frequent and longer use of cannabis. Our most striking finding is that patients with a first episode of psychosis preferentially used high-potency cannabis preparations of the skunk variety."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6691992/Skunk-linked-to-huge-increase-in-risk-of-psychotic-disease.html

[JTM]

A pre disposition to mental ilness is the most likely cause of illness through smoking this disgusting frankenstein crap.... over priced headache inducing garbage a lot of the time.....Give me a nice piece of fresh Rocky (not 9 bar euro dope) or a Thai stick anyday.

[DRUNK08]

It's true. Marijuana does cause mental illness in a lot of people. I wish they could really figure this out because not all weed is bad, and a lot of people could benefit from smoking it.

[Atlas]

I don't know that weed causes mental illness directly. It could be the whole lifestyle. Weed can interfere with a person's ability and/or motivation to deal with real-life problems. When the problems pile up, people get stressed and start to break down. Also, in most places, smoking weed is illegal so the user spends a lot of time looking over his shoulder. That, in itself, makes a person paranoid.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that weed can't directly cause psycho-biological problems. I really don't know. What I do know is that I have experienced the pressures I mention above. I don't take illicit drugs these days, and I try to be moderate in my drinking.

[Conneyfogle]

People who smoke the highly potent form of cannabis known as skunk are almost seven times more likely to develop a psychotic illness than those who use the traditional strength drug,

Dr Marta di Forti from Professor Murray's team has also recently (December 2009) published new research showing that skunk users are 18 times more likely to suffer psychosis.

A study performed by Dr. Marta Di Forti for GAP shows that patients with episodes of Psychosis were 50% more likely to have smoked skunk weed just prior to their episode.

Old fashioned hash or marijuana contains four per cent THC compared with up to 20 per cent in skunk

The THC content of good to excellent hashish varies from 20% to 60%

The average THC for tested marijuana during 2008 was 10.1 percent, according to the government

Since studies began in the '70s, the report showed that currently the average amount of THC in pot is about 9.6%

The median THC content of herbal cannabis and resin was 2.1% and 3.5%, respectively. The median 13.9% THC content of sinsemilla

In the traditional resin hash preferred by the control group, levels of THC averaged at 3.4%, with similar levels of CBD. Skunk, by contrast, contains 12-18% THC and 1.5% CBD. It appears that CBD may help to protect against psychosis.

It is thought that average THC content of domestically grown herbal cannabis, which may now command up to two thirds of the UK market, has risen from 6% to 12% in recent years

Skunk, with a typical THC content of 15 to 19 per cent

The mean THC concentration (potency) of the traditional imported herbal

cannabis samples was 8.4% (range = 0.3 to 22%); median = 9.0%. Only a very

small number of samples were received and analysed.

Myth:

Marijuana Can Cause Permanent Mental Illness. Among adolescents, even occasional marijuana use may cause psychological damage. During intoxic More..ation, marijuana users become irrational and often behave erratically.

Fact:

There is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults. Some marijuana users experience psychological distress following marijuana ingestion, which may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary. With very large doses, marijuana can cause temporary toxic psychosis. This occurs rarely, and almost always when marijuana is eaten rather than smoked. Marijuana does not cause profound changes in people’s behavior.

below refers to the report in the thread

• The proportion of controls who had ever used cannabis (62%) is higher than the national average, so it is possible that the recruitment strategy oversampled users of cannabis. However, it is likely that this would have actually reduced the strength of any association observed.
• It is possible that the recruitment of controls was biased towards selecting mild cannabis users, excluding heavy users who are perhaps more likely to use skunk. This sort of recruitment bias may have explained some of the differences between the groups. However, the researchers argue that this bias was not substantial enough to account for the large differences seen.
• The answers given in the questionnaire were not confirmed by objective measures of cannabis use, such as urine, blood or hair samples. This could have added to the reliability of the study, particularly the assertion that there is a dose-response effect (the suggestion that higher doses of THC lead to a greater risk of psychosis).

well I'm glad that's clear then

[DRUNK08]

Cannabis can absolutely cause mental illness. It can rewire your brain, and I know this for a fact.

[sweetredwine]

A study performed by Dr. Marta Di Forti for GAP shows that patients with episodes of Psychosis were 50% more likely to have smoked skunk weed just prior to their episode.

Scientists believe that the active ingredient THC – or Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – is to blame for the effect.

Old fashioned hash or marijuana contains four per cent THC compared with up to 20 per cent in skunk

The THC content of good to excellent hashish varies from 20% to 60% ...

Interesting paradox, THC appears helpful in this article:

While a clear increase in cancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users

"... Studies suggest that marijuana smoke contains 50 percent higher concentrations of chemicals linked to lung cancer than cigarette smoke. Marijuana smokers also tend to inhale deeper than cigarette smokers and hold the inhaled smoke in their lungs longer.

So why isn’t smoking marijuana as dangerous as smoking cigarettes in terms of cancer risk?

The answer isn’t clear, but the experts say it might have something to do with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is a chemical found in marijuana smoke.

Cellular studies and even some studies in animal models suggest that THC has antitumor properties, either by encouraging the death of genetically damaged cells that can become cancerous or by restricting the development of the blood supply that feeds tumors, Tashkin tells WebMD.

In a review of the research published last fall, University of Colorado molecular biologist Robert Melamede, PhD, concluded that the THC in cannabis seems to lessen the tumor-promoting properties of marijuana smoke.

The nicotine in tobacco has been shown to inhibit the destruction of cancer-causing cells, Melamede tells WebMD. THC does not appear to do this and may even do the opposite. ..."

[Broken Levee]

Legalize it mon, so we can all feel irie. Anyting said bad about de herb is propaganda. *insert rasta accent*

[Conneyfogle]

Legalize it mon, so we can all feel irie. Anyting said bad about de herb is propaganda. *insert rasta accent*

you sounded jus' like Mr Marley thenB)

[Broken Levee]

you sounded jus' like Mr Marley thenB)

I love watching his interviews because I think the way he talks is so neat. They're vocabulary is interesting. link mon There's a lot of I words.

[bigstickbonzo]

I can remember when "wet" used to circulate back in high school. For those of you who don't know, "wet" is cannabis that is doused with imbalming fluid. I tried it once...it was wacky. I rarely smoke anymore but if I do, I prefer to stick with some tasty bud over anything else.

[Broken Levee]

I can remember when "wet" used to circulate back in high school. For those of you who don't know, "wet" is cannabis that is doused with imbalming fluid. I tried it once...it was wacky. I rarely smoke anymore but if I do, I prefer to stick with some tasty bud over anything else.

When I was in high school, I smoked some of that on accident. Dealers would do that to the weed because it was so low quality, which imo is dangerous. All the more reason to legalize. Anyway, I thought I could hear my dogs thoughts.

[redrum]

I'm glad I don't smoke the shit anymore but I thought you meant the animal.