As Marijuana Use Among Teenagers Rises, so Does the Risk of Mental Illness and Psychosis

In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize nonmedical marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Since then, 22 states have followed suit.
The study further found a 22 percent increase in past-month marijuana use among young adults aged 18 to 25.
But the notion that marijuana use is benign and acceptable is a cause for concern, according to some experts.
“With the opioid crisis in America, the outcomes are terrible, and it’s easy to see,” Winters told The Epoch Times. “With cannabis, it’s a lot slower acting, and not everyone is at high risk. Some people are at very high risk, some are at moderate risk, and some are at low risk.
“But it devastates when it has a negative impact.”
Lea List, a school counselor at The Classical Academy, one of the largest K–12 charter schools in Colorado, said that legalization is sending the wrong message to youth.
“Students tell me all the time that they can get access to marijuana easier than alcohol,” she said.
She added that when you remove the word “illegal” from a substance, youth and young adults who haven’t fully developed their abstract reasoning skills see things in “black and white.”
“If it’s not illegal, then that means it’s OK,” List said.
Three days before his passing, he told his mom, Laura Stack, “I need to tell you that you were right. You told me weed would hurt my brain, and it’s ruined my mind and my life.”
“Sadly, after he died, we learned so much more about the connection between youth THC use, brain development, addiction, psychosis, and suicide.”
Unlike a mature brain, where there’s not as much concern for long-term structural changes, Winters said research indicates that THC is a “possible trigger,” or “aggravating factor,” for psychosis because until about age 25, the brain is undergoing significant development in terms of structure, and how well it will function.
“We have a lot of neurochemical receptors in the brain that are called endocannabinoids. And these endocannabinoids are activated when you ingest THC, so you’re lighting the Christmas tree in your brain, if you will,” he said.
“This abnormal excitation of your endocannabinoids triggers all kinds of other negative neurotransmitter phenomena that impacts mood, decision making, and risk for psychosis and other mental health problems.”
Winters isn’t alone in his concern regarding THC’s impact on the undeveloped brain.
They concluded that high-potency cannabis (THC concentration greater than 10 percent) impacted genes linked to immune and mitochondrial function and left a marker on the DNA of users who later developed psychosis.
The study concluded, “Cannabis use is associated with higher odds of depression and depression severity in adolescence. Furthermore, depression and cannabis use are independently associated with higher odds of suicide attempt.”
The study further found that the higher the THC level, the greater the thinning of the prefrontal cortical regions.
The study also found that daily cannabis users had downward socioeconomic mobility, more workplace problems, decreased economic prosperity, and more conflicts in their relationships.
“It’s hard to get the public’s attention when we’re talking about these kinds of less dramatic outcomes, or insidious trajectories that take a long time to happen,” Winters said.
“It’s a bit like the challenge back in the ‘50s to get people to realize smoking cigarettes was harmful. That was slow-acting, long-term outcomes for people. Most people didn’t get any illness that could lead to death until they had 30 or 40 years’ worth of smoking.
It further states that in 2019, the FBI reported 663,367 cannabis arrests and citations and argued that if the U.S. legalized marijuana, the FBI would be free to focus on “real crime” instead of “ruining countless lives” by putting Americans “through the criminal justice system.”
“When we look at the public health landscape and the effect of legislation, in this case, legalization, one of the big benefits is taking cannabis out of the underground illegal market. Taking cannabis out of that particular space is a great idea,” he said.
“You’re taking it out of the illegal market and giving it to legitimate businesses where there is going to be oversight and testing of products, so you know what you’re getting.”
He said that “in general,” drug laws have targeted and criminalized minority communities, and making cannabis legal will reduce “over-policing” these populations.
List agreed, and added as an increasing point of concern, “It’s not unusual for kids to be at school, high [on THC]. And I mean, every age group and generation has seen that, but now it’s much more likely to happen.”
Winters said that what he hopes parents understand is that they need to talk to their kids about the possible harms of THC.
“The bottom line is, it’s just not healthy for a young person, and high potency products are really quite dangerous,” he said.