Arseneault et al (2004) very accurately reviewed recent epidemiological data and concluded that cannabis use should now be considered as a component cause leading to psychosis. Yet at least two unanswered questions remain. How can cannabis lead to psychosis? Are some subjects specifically vulnerable to the psychotogenic effect of cannabis? Several studies, including the Dunedin study, have sugg...

BACKGROUND Evidence is accumulating that a cannabis withdrawal syndrome is common, of clinical significance, and has a clear time course. Up till now, very limited data exist on the cannabis withdrawal symptoms in patients with co-morbid substance use disorders, other than cannabis use and tobacco use. METHODS Symptoms of withdrawal were assessed through patient self-reports during detoxifica...

Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the illicit drug most frequently observed in accident and driving under the influence of drugs investigations. Whole blood is often the only available specimen collected during such investigations, yet few studies have examined relationships between cannabis effects and whole blood concentrations following cannabis smoking. Nine male and one female heavy, chroni...

OBJECTIVE A subset of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) smoke cannabis to relieve symptoms including spasticity and pain. Recent evidence suggests that smoking cannabis further impairs cognition in people with MS and is linked to impaired functional brain changes. No such association, however, has been reported between cannabis use and structural brain changes, hence the focus of the presen...

This study reports the prevalence of cannabis use disorders (CUD) and other cannabis-related problems in a large cohort (n=1253) of first-year college students, 17 to 20 years old, at one large public university in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Interviewers assessed past-year cannabis use, other drug use, and cannabis-related problems (including DSM-IV criteria for CUD). The prevalence of...

Arseneault et al (2004) very accurately reviewed recent epidemiological data and concluded that cannabis use should now be considered as a component cause leading to psychosis. Yet at least two unanswered questions remain. How can cannabis lead to psychosis? Are some subjects specifically vulnerable to the psychotogenic effect of cannabis? Several studies, including the Dunedin study, have sugg...

BACKGROUND The relationship between cannabis use and cognitive functioning in patients with psychosis has yielded contradictory findings. In individuals at genetic high risk for psychosis, information is sparse. The aim of this study was to assess the association between recency and frequency of cannabis use and cognitive functioning in patients with psychosis and their unaffected siblings. M...

Cannabis (also known as marijuana) is the most frequently used illicit psychoactive substance in the world. Though it was long considered to be a "soft" drug, studies have proven the harmful psychiatric and addictive effects associated with its use. A number of elements are responsible for the increased complications of cannabis use, including the increase in the potency of cannabis and an evol...

Research indicates that cannabis continues to be a popular illegal drug internationally. Furthermore, adolescent rates of use appear to be significant. Whilst the non-acute effect of cannabis use on adult cognition has been extensively researched, there has been less examination of adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the non-acute relationship between cannabis and cognitive function in...