How I Began To Learn What Had Happened To Me
THC Then and Now
As I mentioned earlier, there was no warnings in the late 60s and early 70s of marijuana’s dangers, so around 2014, I started searching for research and studies that might give information about what happened to me. As I was to find out, there were already studies and research articles concerning marijuana’s many risks.
For example, the American Heart Association has published a number of studies, the first in 2001 - including a 2014 study that documented a series fatal heart attacks directly related to marijuana. And the evidence keeps mounting - https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/JAHA.113.000638
However for my testimony, I will first focus mainly on the Mental Health aspect.
One of the things I learned was that at the time I suffered my psychosis, THC levels in marijuana were around 3%, which by today’s standards are low.
A 2019 NPR article cited a 2017 study that can be found in the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine*, that modern potency was now around 17% THC.
“'That's an increase of more than 300% from 1995 to about 2017,’ says Staci Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. ‘I would say that's a considerable increase.’ … ‘And some products with concentrated forms of cannabis, like hash and hash oil, can have as much as 80% to 90% THC,’ she adds.”
Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, states: "In general, people think, 'Oh, I don't have to worry about marijuana. It's a safe drug,' " says "The notion that it is completely safe drug is incorrect when you start to address the consequences of this very high content of THC."
The article goes on to say: “That concerns scientists who study marijuana and its effects on the body, as well as emergency room doctors who say they're starting to see more patients who come into the ER with weed-associated issues.”
Here is a link to the NPR article -
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/15/723656629/highly-potent-weed-has-swept-the-market-raising-concerns-about-health-risks
- - - - -
This 2018 piece can also be found in the National Library of Medicine, “The adverse health effects and harms related to marijuana use: an overview review.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182105/
“Evidence of harm was reported in 62 reviews for several mental health disorders, brain changes, cognitive outcomes, pregnancy outcomes and testicular cancer.”
I personally have been suffering from mental health disorders.
“Harm was associated with most outcomes assessed. These results should be viewed with concern by physicians and policy-makers given the prevalence of use, the persistent reporting of a lack of recognition of marijuana as a possibly harmful substance and the emerging context of legalization for recreational use.”
- - - - -
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention* says the following:
https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects.html
< 1 > “About 1 in 10 marijuana users will become addicted.”
- That’s what happened to me.
< 2 > “Marijuana use directly affects the brain — specifically the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision making, coordination, emotions, and reaction time.”
- I suffer from memory and attention problems.
< 3 > “Marijuana use, especially frequent (daily or near daily) use and use in high doses, can cause disorientation, and sometimes cause unpleasant thoughts or feelings of anxiety and paranoia.”
“Marijuana users are significantly more likely than nonusers to develop temporary psychosis (not knowing what is real, hallucinations and paranoia) and long-lasting mental disorders, including schizophrenia (a type of mental illness where people might see or hear things that aren’t really there).”
“Marijuana use has also been linked to depression and anxiety, and suicide among teens. However, it is not known whether this is a causal relationship or simply an association.”
All this happened to me as well.
- - - - -
This 2018 study was published in Psychology Today, “Acute Marijuana-Induced Psychosis May Predict Future Illness.”
“For this study, the investigators reviewed the long-term outcomes of all persons who received a diagnosis of substance-induced psychosis between 1994 and 2014 and had no prior diagnosis of a psychotic illness — a group of over 6,700 people.”
“The most dramatic increases by far occurred in those who exhibited psychotic symptoms following marijuana use.”
“Over a twenty-year follow-up period, about 41 percent of those who had a psychotic reaction to marijuana developed schizophrenia, and 47 percent developed either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.”
“These results demonstrate that those who are diagnosed with substance-induced psychotic symptoms, especially after marijuana use, are at high risk for eventually developing a chronic psychotic illness.”
- This helps explain what I went through.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/demystifying-psychiatry/201801/acute-marijuana-induced-psychosis-may-predict-future-illness?fbclid=IwAR0S_KfDcDW_hTWvIx1PdDAtbac8b1uXIUAqN1Sk633_9aplnF7XTOzANL0
- - - - -
In 2018, NBC News ran this feature: “Mental Health - Chronic pot use may have serious effects on the brain, experts say”
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/chronic-pot-use-may-have-serious-effects-brain-experts-say-n924441?fbclid=IwAR3WcOwi7fn4pD9dKAaLqM0QiCAWTLaWPwU6ULw0UHJD9FkrY8HXEfHUYTU
“After four years of heavy use, Warner noticed that his short-term memory was starting to fray. He avoided talking to people, and festering feelings of anxiety and depression grew. He tried to mask them with weed, deepening his dependency.”
“Studies have shown that chronic marijuana use affects the same brain structures that are involved with addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have some degree of “marijuana use disorder.”
“Marijuana use disorders are often associated with dependence — in which a person feels withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. Frequent users report irritability, mood and sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, cravings, restlessness and physical discomfort … Marijuana dependence occurs when the brain adapts to large amounts of the drug, requiring more and more to create the desired euphoric effect.”
“Researchers estimate that 4 million people in the United States met the criteria for marijuana use disorder in 2015, but only 138,000 of them voluntarily sought treatment.”
“A Canadian study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2017 showed a substantial increase in ‘psychotic-like experiences’ in teenage users. The study also reported adverse effects on cognitive development and increased symptoms of depression.”
(https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpp.12765?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+down+on+Wednesday+05th+July+starting+at+17.00+EDT+%2F+22%3A00+BST+%2F+02%3A30+IST+%2F+05.00+SGT+%286th+July%29+for+up+to+1+hour+due+to+essential+maintenance+)
“Other studies show that chronic use may even interfere with normal development of the adolescent brain.” ( American Journal of Psychiatry - https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.18020202 )
- - - - -
In 2020, The National Institute on Drug Abuse published its revised “Marijuana Research Report. “ https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-long-term-effects-brain
“Several studies, including two large longitudinal studies, suggest that marijuana use can cause functional impairment in cognitive abilities but that the degree and/or duration of the impairment depends on the age when a person began using and how much and how long he or she used.”
“Among nearly 4,000 young adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study tracked over a 25-year period until mid-adulthood, cumulative lifetime exposure to marijuana was associated with lower scores on a test of verbal memory … The effect was sizeable and significant …”
“Some studies have also linked marijuana use to declines in IQ, especially when use starts in adolescence and leads to persistent cannabis use disorder into adulthood.”
“A large longitudinal study in New Zealand found that persistent marijuana use disorder with frequent use starting in adolescence was associated with a loss of an average of 6 or up to 8 IQ points measured in mid-adulthood. Those who used marijuana heavily as teenagers and quit using as adults did not recover the lost IQ points.”
“Memory impairment from marijuana use occurs because THC alters how the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation, processes information … As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information. Chronic THC exposure may hasten age-related loss of hippocampal neurons.”
- - - - -
The adverse effects marijuana on the developing brains of human embryos is the subject of this 2014 testimony by Dr. Steven Simerville, a pediatrician who at the time was Medical Director of the Nursery at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K4bcl9FqfIs&t=174s
“About 7-10% of our babies in a given month test positive for exposure to THC.”
“In the 70s when they first started looking at what does post natal THC mean, they looked at mothers who exposed their babies to marijuana. That marijuana was 2.5% THC. Our current marijuana is 15%.”
“So it’s a 7-fold increase in the concentration of THC that our babies are being exposed to.”
“But back then, in the 70s, we knew that if a baby was exposed prenatally to marijuana, they would see decreased school performance, they would have difficulties in spatial reasoning, they would have difficulties in problem solving, difficulties in short-term memory, and they would be less likely to graduate from high school, and they would suffer from what we call academic underperformance, meaning they should have more potential but don’t live up to it.”
“That was with the 1970s THC. We don’t know what it means now.”
As I mentioned earlier, there was no warnings in the late 60s and early 70s of marijuana’s dangers, so around 2014, I started searching for research and studies that might give information about what happened to me. As I was to find out, there were already studies and research articles concerning marijuana’s many risks.
For example, the American Heart Association has published a number of studies, the first in 2001 - including a 2014 study that documented a series fatal heart attacks directly related to marijuana. And the evidence keeps mounting - https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/JAHA.113.000638
However for my testimony, I will first focus mainly on the Mental Health aspect.
One of the things I learned was that at the time I suffered my psychosis, THC levels in marijuana were around 3%, which by today’s standards are low.
A 2019 NPR article cited a 2017 study that can be found in the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine*, that modern potency was now around 17% THC.
“'That's an increase of more than 300% from 1995 to about 2017,’ says Staci Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. ‘I would say that's a considerable increase.’ … ‘And some products with concentrated forms of cannabis, like hash and hash oil, can have as much as 80% to 90% THC,’ she adds.”
Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, states: "In general, people think, 'Oh, I don't have to worry about marijuana. It's a safe drug,' " says "The notion that it is completely safe drug is incorrect when you start to address the consequences of this very high content of THC."
The article goes on to say: “That concerns scientists who study marijuana and its effects on the body, as well as emergency room doctors who say they're starting to see more patients who come into the ER with weed-associated issues.”
Here is a link to the NPR article -
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/15/723656629/highly-potent-weed-has-swept-the-market-raising-concerns-about-health-risks
- - - - -
- Mental Health Disorders / National Library of Medicine*
This 2018 piece can also be found in the National Library of Medicine, “The adverse health effects and harms related to marijuana use: an overview review.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182105/
“Evidence of harm was reported in 62 reviews for several mental health disorders, brain changes, cognitive outcomes, pregnancy outcomes and testicular cancer.”
I personally have been suffering from mental health disorders.
“Harm was associated with most outcomes assessed. These results should be viewed with concern by physicians and policy-makers given the prevalence of use, the persistent reporting of a lack of recognition of marijuana as a possibly harmful substance and the emerging context of legalization for recreational use.”
- - - - -
- Mental Health Disorders / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention*
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention* says the following:
https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects.html
< 1 > “About 1 in 10 marijuana users will become addicted.”
- That’s what happened to me.
< 2 > “Marijuana use directly affects the brain — specifically the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision making, coordination, emotions, and reaction time.”
- I suffer from memory and attention problems.
< 3 > “Marijuana use, especially frequent (daily or near daily) use and use in high doses, can cause disorientation, and sometimes cause unpleasant thoughts or feelings of anxiety and paranoia.”
“Marijuana users are significantly more likely than nonusers to develop temporary psychosis (not knowing what is real, hallucinations and paranoia) and long-lasting mental disorders, including schizophrenia (a type of mental illness where people might see or hear things that aren’t really there).”
“Marijuana use has also been linked to depression and anxiety, and suicide among teens. However, it is not known whether this is a causal relationship or simply an association.”
All this happened to me as well.
- - - - -
- Mental Health Disorders / American Journal of Psychiatry
This 2018 study was published in Psychology Today, “Acute Marijuana-Induced Psychosis May Predict Future Illness.”
“For this study, the investigators reviewed the long-term outcomes of all persons who received a diagnosis of substance-induced psychosis between 1994 and 2014 and had no prior diagnosis of a psychotic illness — a group of over 6,700 people.”
“The most dramatic increases by far occurred in those who exhibited psychotic symptoms following marijuana use.”
“Over a twenty-year follow-up period, about 41 percent of those who had a psychotic reaction to marijuana developed schizophrenia, and 47 percent developed either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.”
“These results demonstrate that those who are diagnosed with substance-induced psychotic symptoms, especially after marijuana use, are at high risk for eventually developing a chronic psychotic illness.”
- This helps explain what I went through.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/demystifying-psychiatry/201801/acute-marijuana-induced-psychosis-may-predict-future-illness?fbclid=IwAR0S_KfDcDW_hTWvIx1PdDAtbac8b1uXIUAqN1Sk633_9aplnF7XTOzANL0
- - - - -
- Mental Health Disorders / NBC News: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry / American Journal of Psychiatry
In 2018, NBC News ran this feature: “Mental Health - Chronic pot use may have serious effects on the brain, experts say”
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/chronic-pot-use-may-have-serious-effects-brain-experts-say-n924441?fbclid=IwAR3WcOwi7fn4pD9dKAaLqM0QiCAWTLaWPwU6ULw0UHJD9FkrY8HXEfHUYTU
“After four years of heavy use, Warner noticed that his short-term memory was starting to fray. He avoided talking to people, and festering feelings of anxiety and depression grew. He tried to mask them with weed, deepening his dependency.”
“Studies have shown that chronic marijuana use affects the same brain structures that are involved with addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have some degree of “marijuana use disorder.”
“Marijuana use disorders are often associated with dependence — in which a person feels withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. Frequent users report irritability, mood and sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, cravings, restlessness and physical discomfort … Marijuana dependence occurs when the brain adapts to large amounts of the drug, requiring more and more to create the desired euphoric effect.”
“Researchers estimate that 4 million people in the United States met the criteria for marijuana use disorder in 2015, but only 138,000 of them voluntarily sought treatment.”
“A Canadian study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2017 showed a substantial increase in ‘psychotic-like experiences’ in teenage users. The study also reported adverse effects on cognitive development and increased symptoms of depression.”
(https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpp.12765?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+down+on+Wednesday+05th+July+starting+at+17.00+EDT+%2F+22%3A00+BST+%2F+02%3A30+IST+%2F+05.00+SGT+%286th+July%29+for+up+to+1+hour+due+to+essential+maintenance+)
“Other studies show that chronic use may even interfere with normal development of the adolescent brain.” ( American Journal of Psychiatry - https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.18020202 )
- - - - -
- Mental Health Disorders / National Institute on Drug Abuse / Marijuana Research Report
In 2020, The National Institute on Drug Abuse published its revised “Marijuana Research Report. “ https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-long-term-effects-brain
“Several studies, including two large longitudinal studies, suggest that marijuana use can cause functional impairment in cognitive abilities but that the degree and/or duration of the impairment depends on the age when a person began using and how much and how long he or she used.”
“Among nearly 4,000 young adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study tracked over a 25-year period until mid-adulthood, cumulative lifetime exposure to marijuana was associated with lower scores on a test of verbal memory … The effect was sizeable and significant …”
“Some studies have also linked marijuana use to declines in IQ, especially when use starts in adolescence and leads to persistent cannabis use disorder into adulthood.”
“A large longitudinal study in New Zealand found that persistent marijuana use disorder with frequent use starting in adolescence was associated with a loss of an average of 6 or up to 8 IQ points measured in mid-adulthood. Those who used marijuana heavily as teenagers and quit using as adults did not recover the lost IQ points.”
“Memory impairment from marijuana use occurs because THC alters how the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation, processes information … As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information. Chronic THC exposure may hasten age-related loss of hippocampal neurons.”
- - - - -
- Mental Health Disorders / Dr. Steven Simerville, St. Mary-Corwin Hospital
The adverse effects marijuana on the developing brains of human embryos is the subject of this 2014 testimony by Dr. Steven Simerville, a pediatrician who at the time was Medical Director of the Nursery at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K4bcl9FqfIs&t=174s
“About 7-10% of our babies in a given month test positive for exposure to THC.”
“In the 70s when they first started looking at what does post natal THC mean, they looked at mothers who exposed their babies to marijuana. That marijuana was 2.5% THC. Our current marijuana is 15%.”
“So it’s a 7-fold increase in the concentration of THC that our babies are being exposed to.”
“But back then, in the 70s, we knew that if a baby was exposed prenatally to marijuana, they would see decreased school performance, they would have difficulties in spatial reasoning, they would have difficulties in problem solving, difficulties in short-term memory, and they would be less likely to graduate from high school, and they would suffer from what we call academic underperformance, meaning they should have more potential but don’t live up to it.”
“That was with the 1970s THC. We don’t know what it means now.”