According to two new studies, cannabis consumption increases the risk of death, psychosis and schizophrenia.
- Consumers “Cannabis use disorder” (CUD) develop a disorder and are unable to stop consuming cannabis, even if that causes their health and social problems in their lives.
- These have a risk of death almost three times higher over five years, compared to the general population.
- In Canada, since the legalization of cannabis, the overall rate of schizophrenia has remained stable but the rate of psychosis (without schizophrenia) has almost doubled.
In France, 900,000 people aged 11 to 75 consume cannabis daily, according to the Interdepartmental mission to combat drugs and addictive behaviors (MILDECA). Among these users, some are classified by “Cannabis use disorder”(CUD), that is to say that they develop a disorder and that they are unable to stop consuming cannabis, even if that causes their health and social problems in their lives, according to the definition of American disease control centers (CDC).
A risk of death almost three times higher
This consumption can be dangerous or even fatal. In a new study, published in the journal Jama Network Openresearchers show that CUD users have a risk of death 2.8 times higher over five years, compared to the general population.
To achieve this result, scientists have studied consumer files CUD treated in Canadian hospitals. During their work, they also discovered that these patients were 10 times more likely to commit suicide than the rest of the population and that they also had more risk of death by trauma, drug poisoning or lung cancer.
Published in the same review, a other study shows the harmful consequences of cannabis consumption. For this, scientists have also chosen to carry out their work in Canada, which has legalized recreational marijuana in 2018. They thus analyzed the medical records of 106,994 people diagnosed like CUD.
Overall, they observed three main results:
– 3.5 % of CUD consumers died within five years of treatment, compared to 0.6 % of a similar group of non -CUD people;
– CUD patients presented a risk of death 2.8 times higher as the general population, the same result as the previous study.
– Adults aged 25 to 44 presented a higher risk of premature death.
Increase in psychosis cases with legalization
But to study more precisely the impact of the legalization of cannabis in Canada on psychosis and schizophrenia rates, they distinguished three periods: 2006-2015 (before the legalization of cannabis), 2015-2018 (growing use of medical cannabis and non-medical) and 2018-2022 (after legalization). So they observed that:
– the overall rate of schizophrenia has remained stable in all periods
– CUD people increased: from 3.7 % to 10.3 % after legalization.
– The rate of psychosis (without schizophrenia) has almost doubled.
Among these patients, adults aged 19 to 24 were the most affected.
“” “We believe that for each person treated for Cud, three others have not sought to be treated, explains Dr. Daniel Myran, principal author, New York Times. It is therefore not only CUD, but a problem with sufficiently serious so that people have sought to be treated”.
In this study, the researchers failed to determine whether cannabis itself increased the risk of death directly, or if it was linked to current lifestyle and health factors in large consumers. “”In any case, this group presents a really high risk and could benefit from intervention, follow -up and prevention“, Underlines Dr. Daniel Myran.
According to researchers, these results also come from the fact that today’s marijuana is much more powerful than that used by previous generations. Indeed, according to the mildeca, “Cannabis resin is on average 4 times more concentrated in THC in 2018 than 20 years ago for example”.
