Friday, July 27, 2007
No, and No.
Puritans and busybodies everywhere are crowing about a meta-study suggesting that pot smokers are more likely to develop psychotic disorders later in life. The claim, boasted by newspapers, PR mouthpieces, and even study authors, is that pot causes these disorders. While that conclusion is possible, the data don't actually do anything o support it. You see, people predisposed to psychosis could be drawn to pot for the same (or different) reasons that they are predisposed to psychosis.
Take cigarettes: no one has ever alleged that they cause psychosis, but schizophrenics tend to be HEAVY smokers. Before and certainly after developing the disease. Analysis similar to the current pot study would similarly link tobacco to psychosis, an association known to be inverted (smoking is a form of self-medication for many schizophrenics).
/rant.
Take cigarettes: no one has ever alleged that they cause psychosis, but schizophrenics tend to be HEAVY smokers. Before and certainly after developing the disease. Analysis similar to the current pot study would similarly link tobacco to psychosis, an association known to be inverted (smoking is a form of self-medication for many schizophrenics).
/rant.
Labels: causality, drugs, marijuana, pot, research methods, science, stupidity
