The link between cannabis smoking and mental health problems.

[daffy654]

We have probably all seen and heard the reports of the link between the smoking of cannabis and mental illness.
I have always been of the opinion that there is very likely a link but mainly in people who were already 'predisposed' to suffer mental health problems anyway.
I tried smoking the stuff a few times in my teens but had a really strange reaction to it...it made me violent due to paranoia,so I have never touched it since.lol

I do know many people that smoke it regularly,only one of them has any mental health problems and they are quite severe.This young man is now in a crisis situation and I spent all of last night talking him out of committing suicide. He suffered a brain injury as a child after falling off the back of a moving transit van at speed,he was brought up by an alcoholic,wife-beating father and has mild learning difficulties,so the chances are he would have been depressed from all of that anyway.

What do other ABers think about this subject?

[daffy654]

Possibly??? I don't really know,which is why I am asking for other people's opinions :)
Actually that was just an 'aside'.I have never known or heard of anyone else becoming violent due to cannabis consumption.lol.

[daffy654]

I have suffered quite severe mental health problems in the past,I self harmed in my late teens and still have the scars over 20 years later,I first attempted suicide at age 13 by taking 50 paracetamol tablets but was taken to hospital after the empty tablet bottle was found in the bin.I was prescribed Daizepam after that attempt. I won't go into details of the subsequent suicide attempts but there has been more that one since.

[NoMercy]

I've "tried" it about 3 times in my entire life. On one occasion I got the giggles really bad, on another occasion I got the munchies, and another time I was really paranoid and kept going round checking all my doors and windows were closed, convinced that one of my friends was going to return to the house and harm me once I'd gone to bed.

I agree that it is addictive and prolonged use can lead to mental disfunction.

[blackietwo]

I think like alcohol affects people differently, so do drugs. I can't say I know much about cannibis. I have never tried it. Although I do smoke, and thats an expensive habit. Don't think I could afford another habit .

[daffy654]

I wonder if I and others react differently to cannabis because we are 'predisposed' to mental health issues?due to childhood trauma (or any other trigger)
I am no expert in this matter as I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I have smoked it.
If you have an opinion I would like to read it Zacsmaster,just please stop trying to talk down to me :)

[Sqad]

leggy is absolutely correct in his evaluation.

daffy, my love, I am so, so sorry about your past history. The odd thing is that you don't come over as someone who has self harmed. I don't know what I would have expected from someone, but you seem..................so in control.

[daffy654]

Not at all Zac! I had my mental health problems long before I ever tried (or even heard of) cannabis.I just wondered if my reaction to it (getting violent instead of chilled out) was because I already had issues.Also how can anyone prove beyond reasonable doubt that mental illness is caused by cannabis rather than it triggering a pre-existing condition?

I'm not making myself very clear here I suppose,but in my defence I haven't slept since Monday night.lol

Sqad.I was placed in a children's home at age 3 months by my psychopathic mother(diagnosed) who also was diagnosed with Munchaussens(sp?) by proxy. I was in and out of care until age 16 when I was kicked out to fend for myself.I spent 13 out of my first 16 years of life in various foster and council homes.I was also sexually abused by one of my older brothers and by some of the boys in the homes I was placed in.I think I have survived pretty well considering.All these things have made me very strong...........but we all have our bad moments sometimes!

[Sqad]

daffy....I don't know how to answer that.....compassion, understanding and support is not my strong point as you well know.

[daffy654]

I'm not expecting an answer from you on all that sqad :)
I'm not looking for sympathy or anything else either,just stating facts,these are the things that made me who I am today,

[blackietwo]

You must be a very strong person to have survived even though its with the many problems you have had. Many people who have endured what you have never speak openly about their experiences.

[daffy654]

The media and the government would have us believe that anyone who smokes cannabis will become mentally ill though Zac,they don't seem to want us to recognise that, as you and blackietwo have said,we are all different and we will all react differently to different stimuli and substances.Some will smoke cannabis every day for decades and be fine,others seem to react after a very short time.
I don't suppose we will ever have a definitive answer though....too many variables involved.lol
Thank you for your answers and opionions folks :)

[ChuckFickens]

it very definitely effects people in different ways, there are also many different types of cannabis which can have very differing effects on people, unlike most drugs were the greed for more money has pushed the strength down over the years cannabis has actually become stronger (there are some very serious strains of weed about these days!)

I personally think that smoking cannabis will generally exaggerate any existing mental health problems that somebody has rather than actually causing them.

[daffy654]

Bottling up bad experience can lead to even bigger problems blackietwo.I am able to speak about my experiences because I know they are in the past and none of it was my fault...although I did think they were for quite some time.I don't make a habit of telling everyone my story unless it comes up in conversation (as it has with this debate) by the way.lol

[sn�gs]

I know many pot smokers... most are long term users... all hold down jobs and maintain their daily lives with no problems... one of them has mental health problems, but not exclusively down to the weed... they have a history 'pre' weed... it effects people in different ways...

I know many more people who have had their lives badly disrupted/turned upside down by alcohol...