A new study from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark has discovered the chronic use of marijuana is linked to as much as a four-fold increase in risk for major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and associated psychosis.
The news is significant given the rapid increase in US states permitting recreational use of the drug…Although many Americans view pot use as relatively benign, new research is indicating a far greater risk than originally thought.
A study published in the journal Psychological Medicine and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health found a striking link between marijuana use and schizophrenia in young men, with indications use of the drug may be responsible for as much as 30% of cases. There was a similar link for females, but at a far lower rate, roughly 4%.
However, when the age cohort is lowered, indications are that there is a six-times greater risk for schizophrenia among teens who use the drug as little as once a week. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, examined marijuana use across the globe.
New research from University of Washington and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute estimates 21 percent of marijuana users had become addicted. The National Institute for Drug Abuse, (NIDA) has estimated that at least four million Americans have developed “marijuana use disorder” since cannabis became more widely available.
New Study: Marijuana Use Presents Four Times Higher Risk of Serious Mental Health Consequences