Issue 3 will be on the ballot for Ohio's voters on November 3rd, deciding on the legality of marijuana for medical and personal use. This may be cause to celebrate for proponents of marijuana use, but what implications would legalization have on our mental health system? Research indicates that marijuana use may not be as harmless as many believe. According to Radhakrishnan et al. (2014), cannabis use can produce not only acute, transient, psychotic symptoms, but also persistent psychotic symptoms. Additionally, Tosato et al. (2013) found cannabis use to be associated with earlier age of onset of first episode psychosis (FEP) with the mean age of onset for users being 7 years earlier than non-users. Potency is also an area of concern, as researchers have correlated increased potency with increased risk of psychosis (Torjesen, 2015). Regular marijuana contains 15-18% THC, while concentrated hash oil (aka Dab), sold at dispensaries in Colorado and Washington, contains up to 90% THC (Watson-Seupel, 2014). What may be most concerning is that non-adherence to treatment is even higher among cannabis users (NAMI, 2013).
Do you feel legalization would have a significant impact on the mental health system?
Has anybody had experiences with Dab users? Psychosis related to Dab? How long did symptoms last?
Any other comments/contributions would be welcome. I look forward to your responses.
References:
Dual Diagnosis. (2013, March 1). Retrieved September 15, 2015, from http://www2.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Hearts_and_Minds/Smoking_Cessation/Marijuana_and_Mental_Illness.htm
Radhakrishnan, R., Wilkinson, S. T., D'Souza, D. C., Hillemacher, T., & Temple, E. C. (2014). Gone to pot -- a review of the association between cannabis and psychosis. Frontiers In Psychiatry, 51-24. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00054
Torjesen, I. (2015). High potency cannabis is associated with tripled risk of psychosis, study indicates. BMJ: British Medical Journal,350(7996), h939
Tosato, S., Lasalvia, A., Bonetto, C., Mazzoncini, R., Cristofalo, D., De Santi, K., & ... Ruggeri, M. (2013). The impact of cannabis use on age of onset and clinical characteristics in first-episode psychotic patients. Data from the Psychosis Incident Cohort Outcome Study (PICOS). Journal Of Psychiatric Research, 47(4), 438-444. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.11.009
Watson-Seupel, C. (2014, February 26). Dabs—marijuana's explosive secret. Retrieved September 15, 2015, from http://www.cnbc.com/2014/02/26/dabsmarijuanas-explosive-secret.html