Quote Originally Posted by KanMan
One spliff can mean lifelong mental illness
Independent Online Edition > Crime
Schizophrenia Society of Canada postition on cannabis:

Thank you for your message. The role and impact of drugs and alcohol on schizophrenia and other mental illnesses is an area of great interest and concern. The medical consensus has been that drugs such as cannabis do not actually cause the illness, however they can contribute to psychoses and symptoms in individuals who are vulnerable to schizophrenia due to a personal or family history of the illness.

We do have some basic information about drug abuse in our reference manual Rays of Hope. The section states: "Drugs (including alcohol and street drugs) themselves do not cause schizophrenia. However, street drugs and alcohol can make psychotic symptoms worse if a person already has schizophrenia. Some drugs (amphetamines or phencyclidine/angel dust) can temporarily create schizophrenia-like symptoms in well persons."

Our Society does not have a formal position on cannabis use. We encourage all individuals with schizophrenia to talk to their psychiatrists about any products they may be taking, whether it is other prescription medications, alternative products, alcohol or street drugs. The individual's psychiatrist should know what products the person is taking in order to be aware of potential effects.

This past June, the Canadian Psychiatric Association published an issue devoted to the topic of Cannabis and Psychosis. This may be of interest if you are looking for additional information. The link is: http://ww1.cpa-apc.org:8080/Publicat...st/aug2006.asp

The issue of concurrent disorders -- that is the presence of both a mental illness and a substance use/abuse problem -- is a significant concern for those living with mental illness because it seriously impacts diagnosis, treatment, functioning and quality of life. If you would like additional information on concurrent disorders, please let us know.