psychosis

A new study conducted in Britain (whose government is currently in the process of re-classifying marijuana as a class C controlled substance, which would increase the legal penalties for possession) found that supposedly marijuana use increases the chance that the user will develop schizophrenia or another psychotic issue later in life.

Dr. Stanley Zammit's study found that "marijuana users had a 41% increased chance of developing psychosis marked by symptoms of hallucinations or delusions later in life..." According to Reuters "the results mean an estimated 800 cases of schizophrenia in the United Kingdom could be prevented each year by ending marijuana consumption."

CNN, that bastion of sensational and acontextual news media, has reported that Marijuana use can increase the risk of psychosis by up to 40%. I quote from the article, boldface my own: The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.

However, the article goes on to say:

The researchers said they couldn't prove that marijuana use itself increases the risk of psychosis, a category of several disorders with schizophrenia being the most commonly known.