COLORADO SPRINGS – Not all people who use cannabis will become psychotic, but for those with just the right constellation of risk factors, cannabis can lead to “chronic schizophrenia,” according to Sir Robin M. Murray, professor of psychiatric research at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.
And although Dr. Murray says “old-fashioned” cannabis can lead to psychosis, it’s the newer, more potent kinds manufactured in the last decade that pose the greatest risk.
In this interview, recorded at the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research, Dr. Murray discusses the evidence establishing the links between psychosis, schizophrenia, and cannabis, and what clinicians can do to help patients who might be at risk. He warns, however, that not everyone will be able to reverse the damage to the brain that cannabis can cause.
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