Time Immortal

I know, I was shocked as well.

Scientists have shown how cannabis may trigger psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.

An Institute of Psychiatry team gave healthy volunteers the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

They then recorded reduced activity in an area of the brain which keeps inappropriate thoughts at bay.

THC levels are thought to have doubled in street cannabis in recent years - at the expense of other ingredients which may have a beneficial effect.

A separate study has shown that one of these ingredients - cannabidiol (CBD) - has the potential to dampen down psychotic symptoms, and could form the basis of new treatments.

The research will be discussed at a conference on the impact of cannabis use to be held at the Institute of Psychiatry this week.

It comes as little surprise that “producers” of cannabis would want to boost THC levels in their “product” — there’s a similar tendency in most drugs these days — legitimate or not — toward boosting the concentration of the active ingredients, in order to likewise boost or accelerate the effect of it. We see it as much in pain medication as we do in cigarettes, so should there by any surprise that we would likewise see the same trend in marijuana?

(Funny thought: would that mean that THC-boosted cannabis would qualify as a GM product?)

But of course, there’s a tradeoff — when you’re messing with concentrations of chemicals, often you have to sacrifice the concentration of one in order to boost the concentration of another. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule or process, of course…but one wonders if perhaps the level of CBD in street marijuana has been artificially diminished in order to boost the level of THC in the drug. That would be unfortunate, because it’s the CBD that would offset the psychological impact of THC otherwise.

Still, at the end of it, people smoke marijuana for one reason, primarily: to get high. Growers are wise to that simple fact, and will seek to produce product that allows their customers to achieve that goal a quickly and effectively as possible. As for the consequences, well…what do they matter anyhow?

And here’s the real surprise: cannabis is habit-forming as well!

Is there no end to the shattering revelations today?

Dependency

Although figures are not kept, it is estimated that as many as 500,000 people in the UK may be dependent on cannabis.

Increasing numbers of people are seeking help for cannabis problems at specialist clinics. In 2005, only heroin users accounted for a greater proportion of patients.

Experts are concerned that street cannabis is becoming increasingly potent. It is thought that average THC content has risen from 6% to 12% in recent years.

The Institute of Psychiatry study gave THC, CBD or placebo capsules to adult male volunteers who had not abused cannabis.

They then carried out brain scans, and a battery of tests, and found that those who took THC showed reduced activity in an area of the brain called the inferior frontal cortex, which keeps inappropriate thoughts and behaviour, such as swearing and paranoia in check.

The effects were short-lived, but some people appeared more vulnerable than others.

In a second study, a team from Yale University administered THC intravenously.

Even at relatively low doses, they found 50% of healthy volunteers began to show symptoms of psychosis.

Volunteers who already had a history of psychotic symptoms appeared to be particularly vulnerable.

So let’s review: regular ingestion of even low doses of THC can cause a chemical dependency in the brain. Furthermore, regular ingestion of even low doses of THC reduce stimulation of the part of the brain that works to prevent paranoid delusion and/or anti-social thought patters/behaviour. Stated the other way around, regular ingestion of even low doses of THC are addictive, and cause you to be a rude, anti-social paranoiac.

Which sounds like most of the people I’ve met in my life whom I have known to “rock the ganj” on a regular basis. These findings would also suggest a possible explanation why so many of the “9/11 Truther” videos on YouTube seem to feature stoned-out hippies prognosticating about George Bush, government conspiracies, and controlled demolitions carried out as part of a wider scheme of hopelessly improbable pre-planned events executed by government agents on an unfathomable scale.

So yes…pot can have negative psychological effects. Shock, surprise, and distress…oh, woe! Once again, scientific discovery fails — utterly — to surprise.

Update: from Ace, news of consensus!

Professor Philip McGuire and Zerrin Atakan of London’s Institute of Psychiatry said their work using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, showed patients given the active cannabis compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) had reduced function in the inferior frontal cortex brain region.

…

Their research will be presented at a two-day International Cannabis and Mental Health Conference at the Institute of Psychiatry this week.

Similar findings from other teams also highlight the link between THC dose and the risk of schizophrenia-like symptoms, conference organizer Professor Robin Murray said.

“It’s no longer a contentious issue. The expert community, by and large, accepts that cannabis contributes to the onset of psychotic symptoms in general and the severe form of psychosis, schizophrenia,” he said.

So can we safely consign discussion of how this discovery is part of a media whitewash of a harmless recreational substance to the dustbin of paranoiac fantasy?