Do You Believe This ?

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

Smoking just one cannabis joint raises danger of mental illness by 40%

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...e_id=1770&ct=5

I think it sounds like bullshit.
As I read the article I see things like:
Overall, cannabis could be to blame for one in seven cases of schizophrenia and other life-shattering mental illness, the Lancet reports.
and
'Although individual lifetime risk of chronic psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, even in people who use cannabis regularly, is likely to be low - less than three per cent - cannabis use can be expected to have a substantial effect on psychotic disorders at a population level because exposure to this drug is so common.

I think it is largely cooked numbers to please the people who pay for the Lancet's studies.

41% ?
Given the tens of millions of people who smoke pot that would mean we have lots of people with mental illness out there that came directly from the use of pot and I don't believe it.

I do know that most of the stats on drug use come from ERs and rehabs, ie: losers who massively f-up for one reason or another and find it convient to blame it on pot.

[Soulis6]

I don't smoke at all, but that sounds like BS.

Of course im no doctor....

[KingofCamelot]

Pure and simple bullshit.

Never tried the stuff myself, but I know enough people who smoke it to know that a lot of what they tell you about it isn't true.

Just wait for wasteland to chime in here, hes like the PR drug guru.

[Happy]

If it is true, my school reunion is going to be quite interesting.

[Expendable Grunt]

Psh. Well anyone stupid enough to smoke it anyways has a mental problem.

That being said, I'm not checking this thread again, as I'm A) Tired of listening to potheads trying to justify their stupidity and B) Tired of watching pathetic flames coming at me.

Nobody full understands the mind enough to say anything about this, either way.

[[R-DEV]IronTaxi]

as far as im concerned absolutely no difference between having a beer and smoking a joint...

both drugs, both have an effect on the body both good and bad..

both are choices made by rational people who must be responsible for any results.. dont blame the drugs man....you smoked/drank it dumb ass...

[[R-MOD]Saobh]

Well considering the 2nd half of the article "Three heavy drug users and their horrific killings" I kind of doubt their "fair and balanced" approach to the issue here. And are just going sensational on some very moot info.

Its no big surprise that any psychoactive has an impact on the brain itself, as it effectively works by hot wiring it.

But reading the Lancets study might be a bit better, as they are only confirming what they where saying beforehand
-http://www.cfdp.ca/lancet.htm
-http://www.cfdp.ca/lancet2.htm

and an abstract of their last study

Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review

Theresa HM Moore MSc a, Dr Stanley Zammit PhD email address a c Corresponding Author Information, Anne Lingford-Hughes PhD a, Thomas RE Barnes DSc d, Peter B Jones PhD e, Margaret Burke MSc b and Glyn Lewis PhD a
Summary
Background

Whether cannabis can cause psychotic or affective symptoms that persist beyond transient intoxication is unclear. We systematically reviewed the evidence pertaining to cannabis use and occurrence of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes.
Methods

We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Knowledge, ISI Proceedings, ZETOC, BIOSIS, LILACS, and MEDCARIB from their inception to September, 2006, searched reference lists of studies selected for inclusion, and contacted experts. Studies were included if longitudinal and population based. 35 studies from 4804 references were included. Data extraction and quality assessment were done independently and in duplicate.
Findings

There was an increased risk of any psychotic outcome in individuals who had ever used cannabis (pooled adjusted odds ratio=1·41, 95% CI 1·20–1·65). Findings were consistent with a dose-response effect, with greater risk in people who used cannabis most frequently (2·09, 1·54–2·84). Results of analyses restricted to studies of more clinically relevant psychotic disorders were similar. Depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety outcomes were examined separately. Findings for these outcomes were less consistent, and fewer attempts were made to address non-causal explanations, than for psychosis. A substantial confounding effect was present for both psychotic and affective outcomes.
Interpretation

The evidence is consistent with the view that cannabis increases risk of psychotic outcomes independently of confounding and transient intoxication effects, although evidence for affective outcomes is less strong. The uncertainty about whether cannabis causes psychosis is unlikely to be resolved by further longitudinal studies such as those reviewed here. However, we conclude that there is now sufficient evidence to warn young people that using cannabis could increase their risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life.
Affiliations

a. Academic Unit of Psychiatry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
b. Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
c. Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
d. Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
e. Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

source (needs a registration)

And here is a better article on the same study:
-http://www.bris.ac.uk/news/2007/5554.html

heres an extract:

Professor Glyn Lewis from the University of Bristol, and senior author on the paper, said: "It is difficult to be certain about whether cannabis use causes psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. It is possible that the people who use cannabis might have other characteristics that themselves increase risk of psychotic illness . However, all the studies have found an association and it seems appropriate to warn members of the public about the possible risk."

So before going nuclear and crying foul on the Lancet and such, do your homework people.
And lastly using a tabloid as your source for your bashing of one of the most respected peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, is ... well lets just say I'm glad your not a journalist

[DrMcCleod]

You can normally take these medical scare stories with a large pinch of salt, but there are a few factors here that might be important.
Firstly, modern strains of cannabis are MUCH stronger than than they were a decade or more ago thanks to the wonders of selective breeding. Skunk and other derivatives can send you on a voyage to trip-out city, rather than just mellowing you out for a few hours. It is plausible that these strains might be far more damaging to mental health than other varieties.
Secondly, anyone who knows people who use cannabis regularly will have observed that it has a dampening effect on their mental ability, it induces listlessness and apathy and can knock 10's of points off your IQ for months afterwards. The claim that it has no longer term effects, although debatable seems like wishful thinking to me.

Frankly, sensible people should avoid it. Have a few beers instead.

[[R-MOD]Wasteland]

Haha. A few beers instead? I'm afraid you're certainly looking at more long term damage there bud.

When I was heavy into the buds, I smoked about 3.5 grams (an "eighth") per day, every day. That's not how much I rolled up and passed around the circle, that's how much I personally consumed. And that was in Vancouver, where I had some very, very good connections. I did this for about two years, and then quit. It took me several months to get completely back to where I had been before, but now three or so years later, I'm back to testing in the 98th percentile for IQ, exactly where I was before. Of course this is just a single person's anecdote, but I have noticed this same thing in any of my friends that once smoked and now don't.

Also, the argument that current strains are stronger doesn't do anything for me. Current users smoke less at a time. Really the only thing that better strains does is make you have to inhale less smoke, which is a good thing.

You cannot imply causation from correlation. There are two important confounding variables to consider when you look at these studies. First, cannabis is consumed more by the lower classes, where there is also a higher rate of mental illness. Second, many people with chronic illnesses use cannabis, and these people are prone to depression. Many studies have shown a correlation between cannabis users and the depressed, but other studies that have controlled for chronic diseases have shown that cannabis use is actually negatively correlated to depression.

Finally, many studies into drugs receive NIDA funding, or are conducted by researchers that are likely to pursue government grants in the future, and therefore they can hardly be described as "unbiased".

On the other hand, it's important to note that in some ways, cannabis acts as a psychedelic, and I certainly wouldn't advise anybody concerned about their mental state to use a psychedelic. This mostly goes for true psychedelics, such as mushrooms, acid, or DMT. But to a lesser extent the same goes for cannabis. Some people were never meant to peek behind the veil.

[A.J.Sawyer]

I wouldn't believe anything the Daily Mail said, tabloid rubbish.

But it may have that affect on CERTAIN people, not all, just the mail exagerates everything.