(NewsNation) — As recreational cannabis legalization spreads, a growing body of research suggests there may be potential risks between the drug and serious mental health problems.
There are concerns about links between cannabis and psychosis and schizophrenia, with studies suggesting that young men are most at risk.
Laura and John Stack have yet to come to terms with their son’s suicide in 2019. The Stacks live in Colorado, the first state to legalize marijuana in 2012. Their son, Johnny, became an addict as a teenager.
“He said, ‘What do you want, Mom and Dad, I’ve got a 4.0.’ didn’t seem to have any problems,” Laura said.
Johnny’s problem was compounded by the fact that he was using pot products made with extracts that didn’t produce any obvious odor.
“He had started smoking e-cigarettes, and they were completely odorless, and until he was 14 or about a year old, we had no idea,” John said.
By the age of 18, Johnny was a heavy user and showing symptoms of psychosis.
“He started thinking people were listening to him through his iPhone, so he bought a burner phone and put sticky notes over his webcam,” Laura said. “He said people were watching him, and he began to suspect that the mob was following him.”
The Stacks now treasure photographs and videos of Johnny reciting a poem three days before his suicide.
Much research has been done on the health effects of marijuana since its widespread legalization over the past decade.
The latest is a Danish study co-authored by the director of the National Institutes of Health.
“If it causes psychosis or an acute psychotic episode, it can cause very frightening[symptoms]. Basically a very impulsive act that can lead to suicide,” Dr. Nora Volkow said. rice field.
In the study, published this month in the journal Psychological Medicine, researchers had enough data to confirm that “the link between cannabis use disorders and schizophrenia is stronger in young men than in women.” said there is.
“The transition between the pre-teens and 20s is exactly when schizophrenia starts to emerge, and the risk is significantly higher for men than for women,” says Volkow.
With the legalization of marijuana comes a new generation of potent pots that contain far more THC, the part of the plant that causes the feeling of euphoria.
In the 1970s, THC levels in the average plant were below 3%. Decades of advances in genetic engineering have raised that average to nearly 25%.
Dr. Christine Miller is a neurobiologist and psychiatric specialist.
“They did a study in Europe that administered purified THC to clinical study subjects and found that 40% of people with no family history of psychosis developed psychotic symptoms,” she said.
Recreational sales are now legal in 22 states, including Washington, DC, but only Vermont and Connecticut have caps on efficacy.
Three days before Johnny’s death, the Stacks told him they were “sorry, I love you,” but said marijuana had ruined his spirit and life.
The Stacks are now touring the country to warn others about the dangers of powerful cannabis. Earlier this month, Oklahoma, along with many other states, refused to legalize recreational use.
