Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.5.3

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Weekly News in Audio

May 3, 2007

Pot Use Doesn’t Exacerbate Symptoms Of Schizophrenia, Study Says

State Legislatures Move Forward With Medi-Pot Proposals

More Than 230 Cities, 35 Countries To Hold Marijuana Rallies This Weekend

London, United Kingdom:
Pot Use Doesn’t Exacerbate Symptoms Of Schizophrenia, Study Says

Marijuana use is not associated with heightened symptoms of schizophrenia, according to data to be published in the journal Schizophrenia Research.

Investigators at London’s Institute of Psychiatry assessed whether the prior use of cannabis in patients with schizophrenia was associated with appreciable changes in schizophrenic symptoms compared with patients who had no history of marijuana use. Researchers performed logistic regression analysis on 757 volunteers with cases of first onset schizophrenia. Of these, 182 (24 percent) had reportedly used cannabis in the year prior to diagnosis, while 552 (73 percent) had not. (The remaining three percent had no data available.)

Investigators reported no statistically significant "differences in syptomatology between schizophrenic patients who were or were not cannabis users" after controlling for patients’ age, sex, and ethnicity.

Researchers also failed to find "any evidence that cannabis users with schizophrenia were more likely to have a family member with the disorder."

These findings "argue against a distinct schizophrenic-like psychosis caused by cannabis," authors concluded.

The study is the largest trial ever conducted to compare cannabis using and non-using schizophrenic patients, investigators said.

Although investigators did not assess whether cannabis consumers had greater odds of contracting schizophrenia compared to those who did not have a history of smoking pot, prior reviews have downplayed such an association. Most recently, Britain's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) concluded in 2006, "For individuals, the current evidence suggests, at worst, that using cannabis increases lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia by one percent."

A separate 2006 report by Britain’s Beckley Foundation speculated that cannabis may "precipitate schizophrenia in people who are already vulnerable" to the disease, but it also acknowledged that the "increased rates of cannabis use in the last thirty years have not been accompanied by a corresponding increase in the rate of psychosis in the population."

NORML Advisory Board Member Mitch Earleywine, author of the book Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence (Oxford University Press), said: "Schizophrenia is a rare and heterogenous disorder that requires both biological and environmental contributors. I hope this latest work helps to counter the idea that there exists a distinct psychotic disorder related to cannabis as well as other equally simplistic, and often inaccurate, notions regarding the use of cannabis and mental illness."

A study co-authored by Earleywine and published in the journal Psychiatry Research in 2005 reported that cannabis use typically follows rather than precedes behavior suggestive of schizophrenia. "These findings do not support a causal link between cannabis use and schizotypal traits," the study concluded.

Washington, DC:
State Legislatures Move Forward With Medi-Pot Proposals

Legislative chambers in Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Vermont approved medical cannabis legislation this week.

In Vermont, the House approved Senate Bill 7, which expands the list of qualifying conditions that may be legally treated with cannabis under state law. The bill must now go to conference committee before being sent to the Governor’s desk.

In Minnesota, the Senate gave preliminary approval to Senate File 345, which would allow state-authorized patients, under a physician's supervision, to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis. The proposal also allows for private nonprofit dispensaries to register with the state to grow and dispense medicinal cannabis for registered patients. The House is expected to vote on a companion bill, House File 655, next week.

In Rhode Island, lawmakers in the House voted 49-12 this week to repeal the sunset clause to the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act. Under the law, which is set to expire later this year without action from the legislature, authorized patients may possess and grow cannabis for therapeutic purposes. More than 260 patients and 270 caregivers are currently licensed to possess cannabis under the state program. The Rhode Island Senate is expected to vote on the measure later this week.

New York City, NY:
More Than 230 Cities, 35 Countries To Hold Marijuana Rallies This Weekend

Marijuana law reform activists in over 230 cities across the globe will hold marches this weekend to protest the criminal prohibition of cannabis. The worldwide event, known as the "Global Marijuana March," will be held on Saturday, May 5. Over 400 cities since 1999 have participated in the event, which is coordinated by Cures-Not-Wars in New York City and Cannabis Culture Magazine in Vancouver.

The following NORML affiliates are participating in this year's marches: University of Arkansas NORML, Arizona NORML, Bakersfield NORML (CA), Humbolt State University NORML (CA), University of Central Florida (UCF) NORML, Maui NORML (HI), Illinois NORML, Maine-ly NORML, MassCann NORML (MA), Missouri NORML, Greater St. Louis NORML, Willamette Valley NORML (OR), Nevada NORML, Houston NORML (TX), Vermont NORML, and Norway NORML (Norway).

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