Quote Originally Posted by Purple Banana
I don't understand how it COULDN'T help... Cannabis releases tons of seratonin in the brain, as well as prolactin, both of which are mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. Schizophrenics usually have a lack of seratonin, as well as prolactin; seratonin levels are decreased, but prolactin levels are normal in depression.

Breastfeeding produces roughly the same amount of those chemicals in a buzzed state, so why don't they correlate breastfeeding to schizophrenia? Because it's legal!

Actually thats incorrect!!

The brains natural cannabinoid is called "anandamide" and it works in dopamine receptors.

THC and the other cannabinoids enter the brain and bind with the receptors that are normally binded by anandamide. THC (and others) sit in the receptors much longer in the receptor (anandamide breaks off in less than a second) .... thus THC causes a rapid build up of dopamine.......which causes the pleasurable feelings with being high. Eventually THC gets cleaved and the high wears off (thats why no one has ever died from weed).

Now if someone is more prone to schizophrenia this increase in dopamine might trigger schizophrenia to appear (at least temporarily) and if other neurotransmitters are also out of wack schizophrenia might develop when the person stops using as well. This is because schizophrenia is a malfunction of dopamine control in the brain (too much dopamine) and has nothing to do with serotonin (serotonin is linked to depression, manic and bipolar disorders).