Is the increasing legalization of marijuana a good thing for mental health? One psychiatrist weighed the pros and cons, and this is what he found.
Additionally, marijuana use can cause increased impulsiveness, impaired driving ability, heightened anxiety,, and apathy. Probably due to the higher potency of THC in marijuana today compared to the 1960s, there is a greater risk of it triggering psychosis, even in those without a genetic predisposition of schizophrenia.
All of these negative effects can occur in adults as well but they are especially worrisome in our adolescent and young adult patients whose brains are still actively developing up until the late 20s. Since 2019 rates of marijuana use have increased dramatically in adolescents, as have rates of ER visits where marijuana is involved. Reasons for this increase may be the decreased perceived risk coupled with the rise insuch as an increase in bronchitis and other chronic lung conditions.After weighing both sides of the equation, what is my responsibility and recommendations as a psychiatrist to my patients and community? Will having marijuana dispensaries in my town lead to there being more widespread use in adolescents and young adults? Will this lead to an uptick in mental illness andWe are just beginning to gain experience as physicians working with medical marijuana where clearly more research is needed to flush out the issues. This includes knowing which conditions respond best at what doses and ratio of THC/, understanding the harmful drug interactions, and using it safely to avoid abuse and dependency. Marijuana will have to be moved from a Schedule I to Schedule II drug so that the necessary research can be performed on humans. It’s unfortunate that we are moving as quickly as we are as a nation without having enough careful discussion,, and caution. Many parents wrongly feel that marijuana carries a much lower risk than alcohol and adopt a casual, laissez-faire attitude when advising their kids. I am glad that my patients on medical marijuana will be able to obtain a cheaper, high-grade product instead of resorting to buying it on the street where it can be tainted with phencyclidine , and other impurities. I’m also relieved that African Americans and other minorities will not fear being arrested and sent to jail for the possession of small quantities of marijuana. Given the pros and cons, we need to continue to form interdisciplinary committees at both large medical facilities, academic institutions, and out in the community to further necessary research and to educate both professionals and the lay public. These committees should work in tandem with local and state governments and must include both medical and mental health professionals who have the most experience in this field. Let’s proceed, but do so with the appropriate level of caution so that marijuana is safely introduced into our society.Bourque J, Afzali MH, Conrod PJ. . Association of Cannibis Use With Adolescent Psychotic Symptoms. JAMA Psychiatry. Wu TC, Tashkin DP, Djaheb B, et al. . Pulmonary hazards of smoking marijuana as compared to tobacco. New England J Med. Boden JM, Dhakal B, Foulds JA, et al. . Life-course trajectories of cannibis use: a latent class analysis of a New Zealand birth cohort. Addiction.
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