Marijuana and Its Link To Schizophrenia

I was a heavy pot smoker when I was young. I have since developed schizophrenia. I have heard that pot use can increase the likelihood of developing schizophrenia and I am certain this is what has happened to me. My heavy pot smoking days were in my late teens and early twenties. These years are important developmental years for the brain and it seems that smoking marijuana can derail this development. This could explain the increased probability of developing schizophrenia.

An article I read from Time magazine suggests that science has found a strong correlation between marijuana use and schizophrenia. I have used the information in this article for my own. The findings point towards an increased likelihood of developing schizophrenia. Exacerbation of schizophrenic symptoms has also been noted. The onset of schizophrenia seems to be earlier among marijuana smokers. The findings however have been unclear as to whether or not marijuana use is the root cause. Studies have found that other factors that make a person predisposed to schizophrenia make it hard to cite marijuana use as the cause of the onset or of the illness itself.

People with schizophrenia are twice as likely to be pot smokers as people without the illness. In addition, pot smokers are twice as likely to develop schizophrenia as non smokers. Just trying marijuana once can cause a 40% increase in the likely hood of developing a psychotic disorder including schizophrenia. There are other determining factors that lead to the development of schizophrenia. As a result the rate of schizophrenia has not risen with the increased popularity of pot smoking.