Long term cannabis use is not associated with an increase in severity of psychosis symptoms, a news study has found.
Although regular cannabis users did report a greater number of symptoms, these symptoms did not tend to be severe, and were unlikely to be indicative of psychotic illness, the study states.
While the use of cannabis is more common among those with psychotic disorders, there is very little evidence pointing to a causative relationship.
In fact, cannabis-induced psychosis is pretty rare among those who have not already been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder.
The study
Researchers out of New Zealand set out to evaluate the link between cannabis consumption and the severity of psychosis symptoms.
They observed a group of 1,200 participants who were all born in 1977 and included a mixture of people who regularly ingested cannabis and those who don’t.
Their psychosis symptom profile was then evaluated at ages 18, 21, and 25.
According to the data, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, higher-severity symptoms of psychosis were not displayed amongst those with a history of cannabis consumption.
A general comparison between the two groups showed no significant differences, and more severe symptoms were not generally reported.
The most commonly reported symptoms of psychosis were those that medical professionals would deem to be “mild”.
Causative?
However, authors found regular cannabis consumers were more likely to report experiencing a larger number of symptoms, but these symptoms don’t tend to be severe and are also unlikely to be an indicator of having a psychotic illness.
They concluded: “Collectively, the results suggest that while those who were regular cannabis users reported a significantly greater number of symptoms than non-users, the symptom profile between the two groups did not differ, showing that there was no evidence of greater ‘severity’ among regular cannabis users.”
This topic has been a talking point for years, with many people believing there is a distinguishable link between regular cannabis consumption and psychotic symptomatology. Still, in reality, there has been very little research which has looked into and solidified these claims.
Read: 3 Studies That Prove Cannabis Does Not Cause Psychosis
Read: This Ratio Of CBD To THC Reduces Anxiety And Paranoia, Study Finds
