DOES CANNABIS CAUSE PSYCHOSIS?

DOES CANNABIS CAUSE PSYCHOSIS?

Despite the fact that there is no concrete evidence, opponents of Medical Marijuana insist on continuing the ‘Reefer Madness’ campaign by issuing false statements with no evidence that Marijuana causes psychosis and therefore leads to the onset of schizophrenia. 

It is indeed very true that smoking Marijuana is definitely not for young adolescents and teenagers who are then in their critical stages of brain development from puberty onwards to around age 27 and indeed some people who have been smoking Marijuana since early childhood may experience some problems with their brains’ development. This is not schizophrenia this is delinquent abuse of a medicinal substance. In the same way if these children started to consume alcohol at the same young age (which they usually do together with Marijuana) they would definitely also manifest certain problems with their brains. Today we have many drug addicts masquerading as cancer and mental health patients. But it is true that abuse of illicit recreational drugs like cocaine, heroine and crack cocaine can result in cancer and some mental conditions but again this is not schizophrenia this is drug abuse which damages and ultimately destroys the immune and nervous systems. It has been proven that there is a direct link between immune breakdown and psychosis.

In my experience ii cannot tell you how many patients ii have met who are in ‘rehab’ paid for by their parents or employers, where they state they are in there for Marijuana but actually they are in there for cocaine, KHAT, CAT, heroine, crack cocaine and other illicit substances. The only reason ii can establish this a lot of the time is because ii have used these substances and gained an understanding of how they affect the body and brain. So this already proves incorrect statistics because people are in fact being deceitful often simply in order to soften the blow to their parents or employers.  This is ironic because in doing this it further demonises Cannabis and shies away from the seriousness of the other more dangerous recreational drugs.

Marijuana consumption acts on a physical, mental and spiritual level in humans.  On a spiritual level you could say that Marijuana ‘reveals YOU to you’ and indeed with some people this can easily be seen as psychosis. One needs to gain an overall understanding of psychedelic substances and their effects on the human brain.  We also need to educate ourselves with the human psyche (psy means soul) which is divided by human duality.  This is a complex concept not easily explained so ii always like to look to the Bible for answers and in Romans 7 verse 14 – 20

 

The Conflict in Man

“We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a mortal man, sold as a slave to sin.  I do not understand what I do; for I don’t do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate.  Since what I do is what I don’t want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right.  So I am not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me.  I know that good does not live in me-that is, in my human nature.  For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it.  I don’t do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do. If I do what I don’t want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead it is the sin that lives in me.”

This scripture proves clearly that there is both good and evil in each of us, no matter how holy we may think we are and in certain susceptible people which is a lot of people, who are not spiritually enlightened, the short term and mildly psychedelic effects of smoking and eating Marijuana can very easily be mistaken for psychosis but this is not schizophrenia or psychosis. This is the study of Psychopharmacology. There is no scientific proof to back this and currently ii am still waiting for answers and proof from a few organizations who claim negative effects of Medical Marijuana.

In one case ii have been waiting since 2009 for a response from a natural healing organization which produced a beautiful poster of the human chakras. On this poster both ‘hallucinations and Marijuana’ were listed together as addictions of the third eye (Pituitary gland). On this same poster ‘smoking and Marijuana’ were listed together as addictions of the heart chakra (Thymus gland).  Never do ii believe that ii am too old to learn and for a long time ii considered that ii might be misinterpreting the word ‘addiction’. Consequently ii have been writing to them for years for them to share their research to support these claims. My emails have never been bounced back and as people do, they just ignore you.

The positive results currently being achieved by treating schizophrenia with Cannabis is what keeps us going forward in our research and right now the most promising Cannabinoid is Cannabidiol (CBD) which has anti-psychotic and anti-spasmodic properties. But as ii have stated before in previous papers, other Cannabinoids are also necessary in the process and all evidence indicates that synthetic Marijuana is inferior to herbal Marijuana and this is simply because the Cannabinoids do not appear to work as effectively in isolation or in the absence of THC. So it is pretty important to have an overall understanding of the Endocannabinoid system and how the chemical components of the Cannabis plants work on the human body.

You can read an overview of the Endocannabinoid System in the post “The Cannabis Coconut Connection”

CBD is a major constituent of medical Cannabis and does not possess psychoactive properties. So there is no ‘high’

The presence of CBD can reduce some of the psychoactive effects of THC. So in other words a strain which is high in CBD will naturally be lower in THC so there will be less if any of a ‘high’.

CBD continues to show potential to relieve convulsion, inflammation, cough, congestion, nausea and most importantly the ability to reduce and in many reported cases of different types of cancers, to actually eliminate cancer cell growth.

CBD has also been shown to have anti- anxiety and anti-psychotic properties and is proving to bring great relief to people suffering with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and frequent anxiety attacks and seizures.

This is ironic since the opposition keep on insisting that Cannabis causes schizophrenia, and remember one of the functions of the Endocannabinoid System is neurogenesis, generating new brain cells. Many people suffering with schizophrenia admit that using CBD rich Cannabis oil provides relief with overwhelming benefits.

Other healing abilities of CBD which have been researched include neuro protection, regulation of blood pressure and pain killing properties amongst others.

It has also been revealed that CBD has an effect on the genes which affect cholesterol metabolism and also has an appetite suppressing effect.

CBD also promotes uninterrupted sleep patterns which is essential to overall health and well -being. Insomnia is usually a big problem for people suffering with schizophrenia and indeed all the other conditions involving degeneration of brain cells.

There is not much you can do to increase CBD levels other than to choose strains with a known high CBD content.  CBD is naturally found in higher amounts in low THC varieties such as Cannabis ruderalis and some hemp species. So in other words you would need to source a ‘lower THC quality’ herb to prepare a high CBD medication.

Be Blessed Be Healthy