Beware! Cannabis users at 7 times higher risk of severe mental illness

People with a recorded history of cannabis use are at a much higher risk of developing mental health problems such as anxiety or depression and severe mental illnesses, finds new research from the UK.

Published in Psychological Medicine, researchers found a strong link between general practice records of cannabis use and mental ill health based on data collected over a 27-year period.

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The findings show that following the first recorded use of cannabis, patients were three times more likely to develop common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. What’s more, they were almost 7 times more likely to develop severe mental illnesses such as psychosis or schizophrenia.

While previous studies have associated cannabis use with serious illnesses like schizophrenia, there is little research looking into the impact of the widely used drug on more common mental illnesses like depression.

Experts point to the public health importance of the report given that cannabis is often considered to be one of the ‘safer’ drugs and there has been a major global push for legalisation.

Although the research does not establish a direct causal link, researchers urge caution in the case of recreational cannabis use.

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