One opponent trump card is the frightening claim that “cannabis causes schizophrenia,” but the actual situation is far more complex.
The claims are based on a small number of cases where cannabis use in uncontrolled, non-medical settings has been closely followed by the emergence of schizophrenic symptoms.
These victims are nearly always adolescents or young adults – the age range where schizophrenia usually manifests without any cannabis use.
Studies show such cannabis can help trigger an underlying predisposition in a particular segment of that population rather than “causing it,” and there is no reason to expect the physician-monitored uses contemplated for Utah would lead to any, let alone many such events.
Excerpts:
“CBD has been shown to have beneficial effects for the treatment of schizophrenia. This is promising for sufferers and good news for cannabis, which has received a lot of negative press and coverage regarding THC and its possible effects on schizophrenia.
The study is: “Cannabidiol (CBD) as an Adjunctive Therapy in Schizophrenia: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial” which was carried out by:
*Dep’t of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London
*Dep’t of Psychiatry, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
*Dep’t of Psychiatry, “Dr. Carol Davila” Central Military Emergency University Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
GW Pharmaceuticals and the Cannabinoid Research Institute, Research and Development, Cambridge, U.K.
The study, an ‘8-week, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial was conducted at 15 hospital sites in the U.K., Romania, and Poland’.”
The results were clear that CBD was effective in improving several standard measures of patient functioning.
“There have been studies on cannabis and schizophrenia over the years, with much attention [on] possibly exacerbating effects of THC on the condition. This study doesn’t provide guidance to start using cannabis for schizophrenia, but it does show promise for CBD.
‘This is, to our knowledge, the first placebo-controlled trial of CBD in schizophrenia. The data indicate that treatment adjunctive to antipsychotic medication was associated with significant effects both on positive psychotic symptoms and on the treating clinicians’ impressions of improvement and illness severity’.”
Make no mistake: We would never recommend unfettered cannabis use in “at risk” populations like youth – who haven’t finished their brain development in the first place – and everything we know tells us a Utah medicinal cannabis program would not result in increasing such use.
Still, we fully expect opponents keep sowing fear and doubt. But TRUCE is proud to be here to debunk myths and misinformation…
#MMJ #Schizophrenia #Research #UTpol #UtahNext #TRUCE
See full article – CBD Shown to be Effective for Treating Schizophrenia in Randomized Controlled Trial – The Cannabis Reporter
