CANNABIS PSYCHOTIC DISORDER
Further research is urgently needed to help validate the diagnosis of cannabis psychosis by health professionals (Greyner, Luborsky and Solowij, 1995; Dews, 1972; Gruber and Pope, 1994), especially since up-to-date research has not been done on the new strain with very high potency.
In 1994, (Ashwood, 1995) a number of young people, aged between the late teens to late twenties, were affected by florid psychotic episodes.
"There was, and as is [sic] now, no known evidence for the cause of their problems, other than their heavy cannabis use, whether it [is] chronic or acute. Laboratory tests and histories failed to reveal any use of the psycho stimulants one would expect to see involved. Nor was there any pre existing latent or prodromal psychotic disorder as the alternative explanation." (p. 49)
As Goodman and Gilman explain, "Because of the high prevalence of marihuana use, dysphoric reactions and psychiatric emergencies as a result of smoking marihuana... can also cause an acute exacerbation of symptomatology in stabilized schizophrenics, and is and independent risk factor for the development of schizophrenia." (p. 3).
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