Pot and schizophrenia are linked according to a newly released study but not the way doctors previously believed. Researchers have discovered that people who are predisposed to schizophrenia are more prone to be marijuana smokers. The study disprove the common knowledge that cannabis causes the mental illness.
Thanks to this new study that linked pot and schizophrenia, expect marijuana users to blame their love for the drug on their genes from now.
According to a British scientist it has been proven that individuals who were born with schizophrenia-linked genes are more likely to be users of marijuana in their lifetime.
The study which was published in journal Molecular Psychiatry on Tuesday was conducted by Robert Power, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.
Robert Power gathered a group of 2,082 healthy people of whom 1,011 smoked pot regularly.
The physician studied the participants’ genome, measuring the number of genes in them related to the neurotic disorder.
The experiment showed that majority of illicit drug users were the participants with the high genetic risk of being schizophrenic.
People who suffer from the disease often hallucinate, hear voices and have brief periods of language deficits.
Mr Robert Power also discovered that a person who is genetically predisposed to schizophrenia will most likely use a greater quantity of weed and become addicted compared to an individual who is not predisposed to schizophrenia.
The doctor said:
“The result highlights the complex interactions between genes and environments when it comes to cannabis as a risk factor for schizophrenia.Certain environmental risks, such as cannabis use, may be more likely given an individual’s innate behavior and personality, itself influenced by their genetic make-up.”
While the newly published study contradicts what researchers believed since the 1960s, the European researcher went on to say that there is still a great possibility that using marijuana and other illegal substances frequently can increase the risk of developing schizophrenia.
