Cannabis Could Cause Lifelong Mental Diseases Like ‘Schizophrenia’

Over consumption of Marijuana could lead to mental health issues, says a recent scientific analysis

Cannabis can cause serious mental health issues like Schizophrenia, says a study

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Cannabis is the most consumed illicit drug across the world.

But a recent research has found that the over-consumption of cannabis can cause mental health problems like Schizophrenia, a study published in the journal of Addiction Biology has found.

According to WHO, schizophrenia is a psychosis, a type of mental illness characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self and behaviour.

Schizophrenia is characterised by abnormal dopamine synthesis and release in the brain.

Senior author Romina Mizrahi, MD, PhD, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in Toronto says, “Regular cannabis use has a profound effect on cortical dopamine function, in particular in relation to the stress response, which is critical for young adults at risk for psychosis.”

This study, according to Science Daily, provides the first ever evidence of a “blunted response to stress-induced dopamine signaling in the brain's prefrontal cortex in individuals at high risk for psychosis who regularly used cannabis.”

Apart from Schizophrenia, Marijuana has many short-term effects on the brain such as,

· Mood change

· Impaired memory

· Temporary Hallucinations

· Altered senses and more

Not only mental disorders, cannabis also has ill effects on physical health like breathing problems and increased heart rate.