To develop schizophrenia from marijuana would you have to smoke it everyday or just every couple of months...?

Question

or just every now and then for fun?

what I'm asking is if you did it every now and then (every 6 months) could you still get schizophrenia?

Answer 1

It all depends on the person. Some people can develop an accute psychosis from a one time useage. Others can smoke for years before they notice any ill effects. It also has to do with other factors, such as your genetic predispositon. I think if u stop smoking it, the effects of the psychosis would dissapear or lessen.
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Yes Mike, Smoking marijuana can be a contributing factor to developing schizophrenia. i think the name of the book that explains this is called "The Truth about pot "

Answer 2

If you're an adolescent when you start using marijuana and you use it for an extended period of time, then you're 3 X more likely to wind up having a serious mental illness than the average population. Or so several studies claim

Their big concern is what's known as 'skunk', marijuana with high THC concentrations, the active 'high' ingredient. This is the predominant marijuana available. The medical community is concerned that high THC levels in the developing brain might be causing mental health problems for the kids later on.

On NPR this week I briefly heard one of these researchers discussing a British study on this. My first thought was that they didn't adequately move past the causality problem inherent in statistics for me to believe that Marijuana causes Mental Illness.

You see it's a proven fact that people driving red cars get more speeding tickets. But red cars don't cause speeding tickets.

Who's to say that people with mental illness aren't naturally drawn to cannibus use as a way of self-medicating? And what's the statistics on mental illness and alcohol, which could be used as a statistical control in the study?

In any event prolonged consistent use of any drug is a bad idea.

Answer 3

Marijuana can not intent a human to increase schizophrenia on its own. However, like so much psychoactive materials, it may possibly intent schizophrenia and different intellectual ailments to start to exhibit signs if in case you have a household historical past and "had the disorder buried away to your genes" (sorry, I do not know a higher time period for that announcement).

Answer 4

You can not become schizophrenic from smoking pot. If the marijuana is laced with other things that's a different story. But just pot, no. I do not encourage it's abuse though. It does cause short term memory loss.

Answer 5

it depends on your genes and how much your brain & body can tolerate the drugs. marijuana with pcp - you only have to smoke one time and can cause a chemical reaction in your brain (really depends how your brain reads these chemicals) by that you can then develop all sorts of brain abnormalities. just becareful and know your family's history

Answer 6

Although smoking weed is stupid, it will NOT give you schizophrenia. Believing stuff like that is why smoking in the first place is stupid.

Answer 7

Never heard of that before. If so, you'd have to do nothing but smoke pot. You'd pass out and/or vomit before you get that way.

Answer 8

you can get schizo?
i better tell my friends to quit

Answer 9

that would be very rare

Answer 10

I'm sure nobody know the answer to your specific question about how much pot smoking is safe. Since the drug is illegal, no such study will probably ever be done. I told you in a previous question you asked to google the answer, but you didn't, and now *I did*, here are some things I found. You decide, but it sounds like you just want to smoke pot anyhow.

One source:

Overview: Use of street drugs (including LSD,methamphetamine,marijuana/hash/cannabis) have been linked with significantly increased probability of developing schizophrenia. This link has been documented in over 30 different scientific studies (studies done mostly in the UK, Australia and Sweden) over the past 20 years. In one example, a study interviewed 50,000 members of the Swedish Army about their drug consumption and followed up with them later in life. Those who were heavy consumers of cannabis at age 18 were over 600% more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia over the next 15 years than those did not take it. (see diagram below). Experts estimate that between 8% and 13% of all schizophrenia cases are linked to marijuna / cannabis use during teen years.

***************** Another source:
Last year, Netherlands researchers reviewed five studies and concluded that the use of marijuana (cannabis) approximately doubles the risk of developing schizophrenia. Because the studies excluded anyone with a history of psychosis and controlled for the use of other drugs, they were "able to show the specific effects of cannabis."
Now a new study from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York has shed light on the reason for the link between marijuana and schizophrenia. With several groups of adolescents as their subjects, they used a special type of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging to compare the brains of those with and without schizophrenia, both users and non-users of marijuana. They found that heavy use of marijuana caused the type of abnormalities in certain areas of the brain as were found in the brains of the subjects with schizophrenia, and these abnormalities were the most pronounced in schizophrenic subjects who regularly smoked marijuana.
The abnormalities occur in a brain pathway related to language and auditory functions which is still developing during adolescence.
Thus if a young person is genetically at risk for schizophrenia, the research suggests, the use of marijuana can cause the same kind of damage the schizophenia would cause, which could bring on the illness when it might otherwise have not have emerged, cause earlier onset, and/or worsen the condition.
Newsday quoted one of the study's authors, Dr. Manzar Ashtari, as saying, ""Don't put yourself at risk, especially if you have a family history of schizophrenia or severe mental illness -- especially when the brain is still growing."

********** Another source
Marijuana: One Cause of Schizophrenia
While it is very likely that other illicit drugs may cause some cases of schizophrenia, marijuana is by far the leading offender, perhaps in part due to it being the most popular and most heavily abused illicit drug. Marijuana causes temporary paranoid feelings in many users and mild perceptual hallucinations are common. However, the research evidence is extremely strong, proving beyond any reasonable doubt that marijuana causes a large number of cases of schizophrenia in the modern world. A number of studies have found marijuana has a stronger link to causing schizophrenia than other drugs. While some other causes of schizophrenia have decreased, e.g. brain injury and in utero infections, marijuana has made up the difference.

Cannabis-Induced Psychosis Often Leads to Schizophrenia: In a Danish study 535 patients with cannabis-induced psychosis with no previous history of psychosis were followed for at least 3 years. These were compared to people referred for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders for the first time, but who had no history of cannabis-induced psychosis. Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were diagnosed in 44% of the cannabis-induced psychosis during follow-up. New psychotic episodes of any type were diagnosed in 77%. Male gender and young age were associated with increased risk. Development of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders was often delayed, and 47% of patients received a diagnosis more than a year after seeking treatment for a cannabis-induced psychosis. The patients developed schizophrenia at an earlier age than people in the comparison group (males, 24.6 v. 30.7 years, females, 28.9 v. 33.1 years).

Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases. Arendet M, et al. Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. [e-mail]. Br J Psychiatry 2005 Dec;187:510-5.
Cannabis Causes Schizophrenia: In 152 people recruited to the West London First-Episode Schizophrenia Study, 60% were smokers, 27% problems with alcohol use, and 68% reported lifetime substance use (cannabis and psychostimulants).Cannabis use and gender had independent effects on age at onset of psychosis, after adjusting for alcohol misuse and use of other drugs. The strong association between self-reported cannabis use and earlier onset of psychosis provides further evidence that schizophrenia may be precipitated by cannabis use and/or that the early onset of symptoms is a risk factor for cannabis use. Comorbid substance use and age at onset of schizophrenia. Barnes TR, et al. London, UK. [e-mail]. Br J Psychiatry 2006 Mar;188:237-42.

Schizophrenia Increased in US Army After Marijuana: Schizophrenia in US Army in Europe jumped from 1/1000 to 38/1000 over the 5-year period from 1967-1971. Tennant and Groesbeck interpreted change as due to rapid growth cannabis use. Arch Gen Psyc 27:133-6, ’72

Dutch Prospective Study Finds Causal Link with Major Increase in Schizophrenia from Marijuana: A three year follow up of a Dutch cohort of 4045 people free of psychosis and 59 with a baseline diagnosis of psychotic disorder showed a strong association between use of cannabis and psychosis. Am J Epidemiol 2002; 156:319-327; Cannabis Use and Psychosis: A Longitudinal Population-based Study. J. van Os, M. Bak, M. Hanssen, R. V. Bijl, R. de Graaf and H. Verdoux; Baseline cannabis use predicted the presence at follow-up of any level of psychotic symptoms (OR = 2.76), as well as a severe level of psychotic symptoms (OR = 24.17), and clinician assessment of the need for care for psychotic symptoms (OR = 12.01). The effect of baseline cannabis use was stronger than the effect at 1-year and 3-year follow-up, and more than 50% of the psychosis diagnoses could be attributed to cannabis use. On the additive scale, the effect of cannabis use was much stronger in those with a baseline diagnosis of psychotic disorder (risk difference, 54.7%) than in those without (risk difference, 2.2%; p for interaction = 0.001). Results confirm previous suggestions that cannabis use increases the risk of both the incidence of psychosis in psychosis-free persons and a poor prognosis for those with an established vulnerability to psychotic disorder.

Schizophrenia Linked to Marijuana in Swedish Military: Schizophrenia is 2.4 times more likely in draftees with any marijuana use and 6 times more likely if used 50 times or more by age 20. There was no family history to explain the increased cases and they were typically of onset rapid often with paranoid features. Andreasson, Lancet ’88;i:592-3.
27 Year f/u of Swedish Military Study: BMJ 2002;325:1199 ( 23 November ); Virtually identical conclusions with further refinement of data. Finds marijuana the cause of 30% of schizophrenia developing in recruits which included 98% of Swede males. Stanley Zammit at the University of Cardiff, UK, evaluated data on over 50,000 men who had been Swedish military conscripts in 1969 and 1970. The new analysis revealed a dose-dependant relationship between the frequency of cannabis use and schizophrenia. This held true in men with no psychotic symptoms before they started using cannabis, suggesting they were not self-medicating.
Prospective New Zealand Study Finds Marijuana Triples Schizophreniform Disorder: A birth cohort of 1037 individuals born in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1972-3. Started measuring for psychosis age 11, drug use ages 15 and 18. 26 year f/u. First prospective study proving causation. divided the sample into three groups based on cannabis use at ages 15 and 18. The 494 controls (65.1% of the sample) had reported using cannabis "never" or "once or twice" at both ages; cannabis users by age 18 (236; 31.1%) first reported using cannabis "three times or more" at age 18; and cannabis users by age 15 (29; 3.8%) had reported using cannabis "three times or more" at age 15 (all of whom continued to use cannabis at age 18). Cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of experiencing schizophrenia symptoms, even after psychotic symptoms preceding the onset of cannabis use are controlled for, indicating that cannabis use is not secondary to a pre-existing psychosis. Secondly, early cannabis use (by age 15) confers greater risk for schizophrenia outcomes than later cannabis use (by age 18). The youngest cannabis users may be most at risk because their cannabis use becomes longstanding. Risk was specific to cannabis use, as opposed to use of other drugs, and early cannabis use did not predict later depression. A tenth of the cannabis users by age 15 in our sample (3/29) developed schizophreniform disorder by age 26 compared with 3% of the remaining cohort (22/730). Our findings suggest that cannabis use among psychologically vulnerable adolescents should be strongly discouraged by parents, teachers, and health practitioners. Policy makers and law makers should concentrate on delaying onset of cannabis use. BMJ 2002;325:1212-1213 ( 23 November ); Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal prospective study; Louise Arseneault, Mary Cannon, Richie Poulton, Robin Murray, Avshalom Caspi, Terrie E Moffitt. While age 15 marijuana use was not related to later depression, young people who had used cannabis three times or more by age 18 were more likely to have a depressive disorder at age 26, even after use of other drugs was controlled for.
Schizophrenic Use Marijuana More Often Than Other Patients with Other Diagnosis: Lifetime prevalence cannabis higher in schizophrenia than with other psych diagnoses. Weller, Lancet, ’88;i:997.
Genetics Important in Abuse & Dependence: Ken Kendler of U Virginia in 335 female twin pairs says genetics moderate impact on probability of ever using and strong impact on risk of heavy use, abuse, and dependence with family and social environment playing big role in ever using but little role in developing heavy use or abuse. Am J Psychiatry ’98;155:1016-22
Marijuana Receptors: Cannabinoid receptor CB1 in brain neurons coupled via G proteins modulating adenylate cyclase and ion channels. CB@ in immune system inhibits adenylate cyclase. SR141716A a selective antagonist reduces alcohol intake in rats. Cannabinoids may also work through 5-HT receptors and regulate mesolimbic dopamine transmission. Which is a final common pathway for many drugs of abuse. Tolerance to cannabinoids is well established. The antagonist precipitate clear withdrawal symptoms. In mice which have been chronically exposed to THC. This reinforces already existing evidence that marijuana is addictive. With physical dependence. CB2 cannabinoid effects inhibit T-cell-dependent humoral immune responses. Anandamide a ethanolamide fatty acid which may be neurotransmitters. It activates CB1 similar to synthetic agonist CP55-940.n Stephen Stahl UCSD J Clin Psychiatry 11/98 59:566-7
Marijuana Linked to Schizotypal Personality: Higher scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire and the Magical Ideation Scale characterized the regular and past or occasional users compared with those who had never used cannabis. The co-occurrence of cannabis use and schizotypal traits appeared to be independent of anxiety and depression. 232 healthy 18-25yo studied. Lyon France. Psychiatry Res 2002 Jan 31;109(1):27-35
Illicit Drugs in 38%: Duke study of schizophrenic admissions found 16% admitted using marijuana, methamphetamine, opiates, cocaine, PCP within past 3 moths, 12% had positive urines and 31% positive hair samples which 10% refused to allow to be gathered. Detection of illicit substance use among persons with schizophrenia by radioimmunoassay of hair. Swartz MS, Swanson JW, Hannon MJ. Psychiatr Serv. 2003 Jun;54(6):891-5
Illicit Drugs: Dutch Psychotics Use Marijuana 3 Times More Often: 33% Netherland psychotics used cannabis in month before admission and 32% used monthly all year with 26% having daily usage for at least two weeks. Only 10% general 16-24 yos used in previous month. Acta Psy Scan ’02;105:440-3
Illicit Drug Use Doubles Schizophrenia in Israeli Male Teens with Behavioral Problems: Military screens all 16-17yos. Of 270,000, 50,000 interviewed due to behavioral concerns. In f/u, hospitalization for schizophrenia double for those using drugs. Self-reported drug abuse in male adolescents with behavioral disturbances, and follow-up for future schizophrenia. Weiser M, Reichenberg A, Rabinowitz J, Kaplan Z, Caspi A, Yasvizky R, Mark M, Knobler HY, Nahon D, Davidson M. Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Sep 15;54(6):655-60