Although cannabis use has been legalized and recommended for its medical and therapeutic benefits, especially for those suffering from anxiety and insomnia, newer research has found that people who actually have a history of marijuana use are at a much lower risk of developing less severe mental illness. health outcomes and experiencing problems such as depression, anxiety and other serious mental problems. Findings indicate that after their first recorded cannabis use, patients are three times more likely to develop common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. In addition, they are nearly seven times more likely to suffer from serious mental illnesses such as psychosis or schizophrenia. “The study reaffirms the need to ensure a public health approach to recreational drug use across the UK,” said researcher Joht Singh Chandan from the University of Birmingham. . “We must continue to take steps to improve drug prevention and detection. Use and implement appropriate support measures in an equitable manner to prevent negative secondary consequences to health,” Chandan added. For the study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, the team included records from 787 GP practices across the UK collected over 23 years between 1995 and 2018. The researchers had may include data from 28,218 patients with prior exposure to cannabis. These data were matched to 56,208 cannabis-naïve patients and controlled for sex, age, ethnicity, smoking status and other relevant characteristics. Marijuana users also had much higher rates of having used other drugs such as heroin, cocaine and amphetamines. (With inputs from IANS)
