As state after state decriminalizes marijuana, it’s use becomes widely accepted for relaxation, pain relief, anxiety, stress and depression. At the same time, studies are showing connections between marijuana and schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Victory Girls has been interested in the mental illness/pot connection for years and it is becoming irrefutable. It’s such a great idea to put a psychotropic drug into the human brain. What could possibly go wrong, right? Let’s discuss:

The Washington Examiner posted a story: “The alarming link between schizophrenia and marijuana” on Wednesday morning. The story opened:

The more marijuana is consumed, the more evidence mounts up that it ruins lives.

As more states legalize marijuana, and as popular culture increasingly treats the narcotic as though it were harmless, it becomes increasingly apparent that using it involves serious risks.

Lawmakers should stop decriminalizing recreational marijuana use, and allow it only as prescribed, via strict protocols, by licensed medical doctors. Even then, its use should be a last resort.

The latest worrisome study, released earlier this month, was conducted by researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and at the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark. Its most compelling finding is that “as many as 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21-30 might have been prevented by averting cannabis use disorder.”

Thirty percent! That’s a pretty high percent. If you don’t know much about schizophrenia, here is some background:

Schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder that it makes it difficult for an individual to focus, think clearly, interact easily with other people, and keep emotions in check.
There is currently no cure for schizophrenia, though there are medications and other treatments that have proven effective in managing certain symptoms, allowing individuals with schizophrenia to achieve quality of life.
Treatment is a lifelong necessity for someone with schizophrenia, and assistance with certain aspects of daily living is required for many people with the illness.
Like depression or bipolar disorder, schizophrenia can sometimes present with very intense symptoms, while at other times signs of the conditions are much less obvious. Working closely with a mental health professional with experience treating schizophrenia is vital to helping people with the disorder live as healthy a life as possible.

Keeping those diagnosed with schizophrenia regulated and on their medications is challenging. Jordan Neely, died on the subway after having been arrested 40 plus times, was a diagnosed schizophrenic. More from the Examiner article:

It can be triggered by heavy pot use when it might otherwise not develop at all.
“The entanglement of substance use disorders and mental illnesses is a major public health issue, requiring urgent action and support for people who need it,” said NIDA Director and study coauthor Nora Volkow.
The existence of a link between marijuana use and schizophrenia has been known for decades, but the new study not only reaffirms the connection but also shows the problem’s growing severity, especially among young men. It blames the “increasing prevalence” of the problem on the “higher potency of cannabis” typically used today compared to typical street marijuana half a century ago.

I have been interested in this since high school, when I noticed the “wall roaches” seemed to be less motivated after consuming pot for a while. They were called “wall roaches” because they sat on the wall between the high school and the Dipsy Doodle and passed the roach around.

Four years ago, I read and reviewed Alex Berenson’s “Tell Your Children The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence”. You can read my two part review here and here.

Finally, from the Examiner article:

Crucially, said Carsten Hjorthøj, the study’s lead author, “Increases in the legalization of cannabis over the past few decades have made it one of the most frequently used psychoactive substances in the world, while also decreasing the public’s perception of its harm. This study adds to our growing understanding that cannabis use is not harmless.”
Schizophrenia is far from the only danger from what pop culture treats as harmless fun. Cannabis also has been definitively associated with “depression, anxiety, and suicidality” among adolescents. Its increasing public acceptance also coincided with a doubling in fatal car crashes between 2000 and 2018. Instances of pediatric marijuana poisoning have grown severalfold.
In states that legalized it, crime, including from armed crime syndicates, has increased, not decreased.

Don’t ask me why this is allowed to continue. You already know the answer. Money. Let’s think about former RINO Speaker of the House “Cryin” John Boehner. He backed out of a deal to join a marijuana lobbying firm after he got accused of stealing the marketing ideas. Sounds right, he never had an original idea in his life and his ethics are sus. Here he is talking about the evolution of his ideas on pot:

Jeebus, what an unholy twat. As bad as this twat:

Fox News is being paid off by some rich bitch and blaming a marijuana on making her son commit suicide from schizophrenia caused by marijuana. Fox you best recant your sell out lies to support ONE MOM OUT THERE verses FACTS YOU SORRY FUCKIN BLAME GAME TRAMPS.

— Michael Kolar (@kolar_michael) May 17, 2023

Or this one who doesn’t understand that good research adjusts for every circumstance:

The alarming link between schizophrenia and marijuana https://t.co/WwL1HDuyHv
I'm Calling Bullshit on this one!
It's Much More likely that mentally ill people self-medicate, than this ridiculous made-up cause & effect.

— derek larsen (@dalars88) May 17, 2023

We can argue all day and every day about whether or not marijuana is a gateway drug to other drugs. Not material to this discussion. What pot is is an psycho-active drug that changes brain chemistry. From anxiety to schizophrenia, cannabis IS a gateway to mental disorders and mental illness. It is also profitable and available in many forms. I cannot watch a YouTube video without seeing an ad for edibles or gummies, for crying out loud.

As parents, guardians, fosters or grandparents, we have a duty to protect our children’s mental health from every harm and in every form. Please read and educate yourself. Thirty percent!

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