Esteemed ABC science show 'Catalyst' last night aired a great myth-busting story on marijuana smoking and its link to psychosis.
In the past no-one had actually researched if cannabis causes consumption was linked to schizophrenia: it was mostly imposed morality. However, in 2004, a London study found the truth – schizophrenia rates have been rising in parallel with cannabis use.
This along with a more recent meta-analysis (review of studies) has found that "Smoking pot at any stage increases your risk of developing a psychotic illness by 40%" and the earlier you start smoking, the higher the risk.
However, research on the COMT gene has pinned it even further. Each of us gets two COMT genes, a combination of good and bad (for want of a better analogy). Get two 'bad' genes and you're in the high-risk category.... in fact you have an 11-fold increase in the possibility of psychosis.
The full story can be found at:
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2402434.htm
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