Marijuana Use Increasingly Linked to Psychosis

JUST ONE EXAMPLE –

Dec. 27, 2023 – Nearly one in five Americans aged 12 and older used marijuana in 2021, and more than 16 million meet the criteria for a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder. “There is a lot of misinformation in the public sphere about cannabis and its effects on psychological health, with many assuming that this drug is safe to use with no side effects.”

It is important for physicians and the public to understand that cannabis can have addictive effects and to recognize signs and symptoms in order to get properly diagnosed and treated,” he added.

Weed use accounts for 10% of all drug-related ER visits in the United States, according to the review published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.

There are seven recognized disorders related to cannabis use, the report noted.

Some include cannabis-induced anxiety disorder, cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, cannabis-induced sleep disorder and cannabis-induced delirium. This last one manifests as hyperactivity, agitation and disorientation with hallucinations.

There’s also cannabis use disorder, which is defined as problematic marijuana use. Symptoms include craving weed and using it even though it’s wreaking havoc on people’s lives, causing them to miss important family obligations or to do poorly in school or at work.