Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.
A psychiatrist has made worrying claims about how cannabis could impact the brains of young people.
Marijuana is arguably the most commonly used recreational drug around the world, with recent statistics suggesting that around 2.5 million Brits (roughly 7.6 per cent of the population) had smoked the drug within the last year, according to treatment centre Linwood House.
These statistics rise to 15.4 per cent amongst young people aged between 16 and 24. However, one psychiatrist has now sounded the alarm about using the drug before your brain is fully developed, saying it increases the risk of a person developing psychosis at some point in their lives.
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"When you start smoking with your mates at 14 or 15, you are literally growing your brain in a cannabis soup," Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told The Times.
"There’s no doubt at all. Cannabis is a cause of psychosis."
According to the NHS, psychosis is a mental health condition which causes people to 'lose contact with reality'.
This can involve experiencing hallucinations, hearing and/or seeing things which are not there, and delusions, believing something which is not real.
Psychosis is typically caused by an underlying mental health condition, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder; however, it can also be triggered by stress or prolonged misuse of alcohol and drugs.
"People’s brains don’t stop growing until you’re an adult in your early to mid-twenties," Dr Smith said.
Research suggests that a human brain doesn't become fully developed until the age of 25; however, 77 per cent of school students who've tried drugs at the age of 14 admitted to smoking weed.
Weed remains illegal for recreational use in the UK, currently classified as a Class B drug, with penalties typically being a cannabis warning for anyone caught with a personal amount.
"The reality is — and this is evidence-based, therefore it’s the truth — cannabis is associated with a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and, unfortunately, a higher risk of psychosis," she continued.
"Anyone who smokes cannabis regularly will admit that they’ve had a ‘para’, and what they mean by that is that they’ve had a paranoid fit. People laugh about it."
Dr Smith also believes that CBD products - which is derived from a cannabis plant and has very little amounts of psychoactive THC, the compound which produces a 'high' - should also be scrutinised further.
"It’s not as simple as saying that all THC is bad and CBD is good," she added. "There’s evidence that medicinal cannabis is good for certain types of epilepsy, but unfortunately, there are claims that it does everything."
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Topics: Mental Health, Health, Drugs
Brenna Cooper