Study shows pot usage may have psychotic effects

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A recent study found that marijuana has the potential effects of causing psychotic experiences, hallucinations, intense paranoia and other abnormal brain functions, according to The Associated Press. \nStephen Shetler, psychologist and addiction specialist for the Counseling and Psychological Services at Pennsylvania State University, wrote in an e-mail that the potential psychosis effects experienced by marijuana users is a plausible result of using the drug, especially for those who have already suffered from mental instability. \n“Almost all users report some changes in their perceptions and thoughts while high. If someone is already prone to thought disorders such as psychosis, marijuana would probably make symptoms worse,” Shetler said. \nThe study of the effects of marijuana on the mind comes in lieu of another study recently issued by the Office of National Drug Policy and National Institute of Drug Abuse, which found the levels of tetrahydrocannabidiol in marijuana have significantly increased. \nRafael Lemaitre, NIDA press secretary, said the levels of THC in recently confiscated marijuana samples have tested for about 8 percent THC compared to older samples from the 1970s that test for about 4 percent THC. Some samples have even been tested for as much as 30 percent THC, he said. \n“[Marijuana] is almost an entirely new drug from [the] 1970s,” Lemaitre said. \nShelter said the higher levels of THC in marijuana provide a reasonable explanation for the findings of psychotic effects in users. \n“It seems logical that if there is more THC in today’s marijuana that more people could experience ‘psychotic symptoms,’” he said. \nThe study tested 15 healthy people who were given small doses of the two active ingredients in marijuana, cannabidiol and THC. Though CBD made the test patients very relaxed, the small doses of THC made the patients temporarily suffer from psychotic hallucinations and paranoid delusions, according to the AP. \nDiana Ramos, coordinator of the Marijuana Intervention Program for University Health Services at Penn State, wrote in an e-mail that students who use marijuana with the addition of alcohol and other drugs allow for a significant increase in the possibility of psychotic effects. \n“If you’re mixing alcohol with marijuana, or other forms of drugs, the effects are more severe and can lead to a mental meltdown,” she said. \nThough Shetler wrote that he has not seen a patient suffer from psychotic effects because of marijuana, he added that he has heard of many clients and students who have. \n“I’ve heard reports from clients/students who have had bad experiences with marijuana along these lines in the past,” he wrote.