Smoking Pot as a Teen a Major Risk Factor for Schizophrenia

The scientific evidence linking cannabis use in adolescence to schizophrenia in adulthood is now so strong that the general public must be alerted.  This was the pronouncement of researchers from Germany and England speaking October 9, 2017, at the World Psychiatric Association meeting in Berlin.

“There is no doubt,” concludes Sir Robin Murray, Professor of Psychiatry, Kings College of Medicine, that cannabis use in young people increases the risk of developing schizophrenia as an adult.  He cites ten independent studies of young cannabis users which have found a significant risk of developing psychosis, and three other small studies that found a clear trend, but the sample size in these three was too small to reach statistical significance.  “The more [cannabis] you take–and the higher the potency–the greater the risk,” he says the data show.

Read the full news report on Scientific American

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