Times of India
03 March 2011
London, India

People who use cannabisin their youthdramatically increase their risk of psychotic symptoms, and continued use of the drug can raise the risk of developing a psychotic disorder in later life, scientists said on Wednesday.

In a 10–year study of links between cannabis use and psychosis, Dutch researchers found cannabis use doubled the risk of later psychotic symptoms. Experts said the major challenge for health authorities was to deter enough young people from using cannabis so that rates of psychosis couldbe reduced.

"This study adds a further brick to the wall of evidence showing that use of traditional cannabis is a contributory cause of psychoses like schizophrenia," said Robin Murray of the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug, particularly among adolescents, and is increasingly linked to mental illness. But experts say it is not yet clear whether the link between cannabis and psychosis is causal,or whether itisbecause people with psychosis use cannabis to self–medicate to calm their symptoms.