Thursday, December 02, 2004
DOQRAPS: Misleader
Research into marijuana has long been notorious for poor and biased methodology.
A study, published today, does not say what its authors (and certainly much thegovernmedia) would like it to say.
It demonstrates an association between pot smoking and psychosis, yes, but the data in no way suggest that pot smoking increases your likelihood of developing psychosis. Previous research has shown that THC acts as a natural anti-psychotic, and so the results of this study do make sense: people predisposed to psychosis are self-medicating, which they are already known to do with tobacco (nicotine is enhances cholinergic transmission, a deficit in which is a symptom of schizophrenia). I really wish people would just step back and do some serious science on pot/THC. It clearly has so much bloody potential to do amazing things, if only we could actually examine it!
A study, published today, does not say what its authors (and certainly much the
It demonstrates an association between pot smoking and psychosis, yes, but the data in no way suggest that pot smoking increases your likelihood of developing psychosis. Previous research has shown that THC acts as a natural anti-psychotic, and so the results of this study do make sense: people predisposed to psychosis are self-medicating, which they are already known to do with tobacco (nicotine is enhances cholinergic transmission, a deficit in which is a symptom of schizophrenia). I really wish people would just step back and do some serious science on pot/THC. It clearly has so much bloody potential to do amazing things, if only we could actually examine it!
