More Than 100 Toxic Chemicals Found in Cannabis Smoke: U of A study

Kelsey Dyer
CTVNews Edmonton

A young man smoking marijuana at a rally in Vancouver, B.C., on April 20, 2011.

(Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

EDMONTON -- A study from the University of Alberta found 110 toxic chemicals in cannabis smoke, drawing attention to potential health risks.

The group of engineering researchers, led by U of A post-doctoral fellow Robert Nishida, compared smoke samples from a marijuana joint with samples from a tobacco cigarette.

"When it comes to how that effects your lungs, how that effects your health, it's a question of dose in the right spots of your lungs,” Nishida told CTV News, “for example where it's going to have these effects and those sorts of health-related questions."

Tobacco was chosen as a benchmark because it has been studied extensively.  

The researchers found that the physical and chemical properties of the two were quite similar. They have 69 toxic compounds in common, although tobacco had more in total, 173.

The particles in the cannabis smoke were found to be larger, impacting where they get deposited in a smoker's respiratory system.

“Whether it's in the throat or the upper airways, or if it gets transported all the way down into the alveoli, that depends on the size of the particles and their other physical characteristics,” Nishida said.

The researchers also concluded that more research needs to be done on the effects and the potential health risks of cannabis use.

Canada legalized cannabis in October 2018. Before legalization, a University of Calgary study found that 8.9 per cent of Albertans said they had used cannabis, less than the national average.

Cannabis retailers saw a spike in sales at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta.

Halifax Researcher Studies How Cannabis Affects Brain Function in Young Adults

Study taking place in Halifax, N.S. and London, Ont.

Aly Thomson · CBC News 

Dr. Philip Tibbo, a professor of psychiatry, is conducting the study with researchers at Western University in London, Ont. It involves 180 people in both provinces between 18-35 who use cannabis to varying degrees.

One group taking part in the study is affected by some form of psychosis, such as schizophrenia, while the other group is unaffected by an illness. 

Tibbo said daily cannabis use, or even in some cases occasional use, has been shown to negatively impact early gains made by people diagnosed with psychosis.

He said he's looking at how cannabis can impact brain white matter — nerve fibres that connect various parts of the brain — during its final development phase in young adulthood.

It also happens to be a time when cannabis use can be quite heavy.

"This will actually give us a little bit better insight into how cannabis can affect brain structure and brain function," he said.

In this practice scan on the brain of a researcher at Dalhousie University's psychiatry department,

white matter is shown outlined in blue. (Submitted by Kyle McKee)

Tibbo said he will look at whether abnormalities form in white matter as a result of cannabis use. Abnormalities in these connections mean your brain is not functioning at peak capacity.

"Each area of the brain doesn't work independently — it's all interacting. It's very complex. If you have more dysfunctional connections, the brain is not working the way that it should be," he said.

"If there's a particular threshold that is met, you could have symptoms of that disconnection, and part of that could be the expression of illness such as schizophrenia."

Using cutting-edge techniques to image the brain, Tibbo will also be monitoring if people within the healthy sample group have unusual experiences, or psychotic-like symptoms, after smoking cannabis.

Dr. Philip Tibbo is a professor of psychiatry at

Dalhousie University in Halifax. (Submitted by Philip Tibbo)

"What I usually say clinically is if you're going to be smoking, you're doing it because it's supposed to be a pleasurable experience," he said.

"But if you're smoking pot and you're getting a bit more paranoid, or you're feeling a little bit more sketchy, well then perhaps there's some vulnerability there to have negative outcomes, and is that because of the effects of cannabis on your brain white matter?"

The research got underway last May. Subjects are being tested at the outset, after six months and after one year.

He said he hopes the study will eventually arm adolescents and young adults with more information to make informed decisions about cannabis use.

The study costs around $500,000 and is being funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Research Nova Scotia.

Cannabis Linked to Depression, Suicidal Behaviour in Teens: McGill Study

Good study, but what a shame they did not study the prevalence of

schizophrenia in teen pot users. It is truly frightening!

AARON DERFEL, MONTREAL GAZETTE

“We were quite surprised about suicide behaviour rates,” says the study’s lead author, Gabriella Gobbi.

Teens and young adults who consume cannabis are at an increased risk of depression and suicidal behaviour, suggests a new analysis by a team of researchers at McGill University.

The study follows an awareness campaign by the Quebec government last week that highlighted the risks of smoking pot among young Quebecers. That campaign observed that the brain continues to develop until the age of 25, making teens and young adults more vulnerable to the effects of cannabis.

The McGill study suggests that smoking pot can be linked to depression in about seven per cent of Canadians and Americans between the ages of 18 and 32. That works out to about 25,000 young Canadians and 400,000 young Americans who suffer from depression because of earlier daily or occasional use of cannabis.

The study also warns of a significant increase in the risk of suicidal ideation in teens and young adults who are already susceptible to suicidal behaviour.

“Pre-adolescents and adolescents should avoid using cannabis as use is associated with a significant increased risk of developing depression or suicidality in young adulthood,” the study concludes. “These findings should inform public health policy and governments to apply preventive strategies to reduce the use of cannabis among youth.”

The results were published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry and are based on a review of nearly a dozen international studies comprising more than 23,000 individuals. The researchers, including colleagues at Oxford University and Rutgers University-Camden, did observe a weaker association between cannabis and anxiety.

''A significant percentage of suicidal attempts

are attributable to cannabis.”

“When we started this study, we expected depression to be a factor attributable to cannabis consumption, but we were quite surprised about suicide behaviour rates. Indeed, a significant percentage of suicidal attempts are attributable to cannabis,” Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatrist at McGill and the lead author of the paper, said in a statement.

In an interview, Gobbi explained that “if you have some risk of suicidal ideation, cannabis increases your risk by 50 per cent.”

“Each person is different. If you have a risk of suicidal behaviour of three per cent, cannabis will increase that risk to maybe 4.5 per cent.”

Gobbi lauded Quebec for launching its awareness campaign.

“Absolutely,” she said, “because what we know about a lot of studies on prevention is that prevention of marijuana works. The more you do in terms of prevention, the more you will decrease the quantity of young people that smoke cannabis and you will decrease the rate of depression later on.”

Gobbi disputed the notion that cannabis is innocuous because it’s derived from a plant.

“It’s not because cannabis is a plant that it’s harmless or dangerous,” she added. “Cannabis with the concentration of THC that we have today — which is more than 10 per cent — can be dangerous for the brain, and there is some risk of possibly developing depression and suicidal behaviours.”

Not to mention as much as a 1 in 6 chance of full-blown, irreversible schizophrenia.

Although Ottawa (read: our far-left, very Liberal government), legalized the recreational use of cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018, medical associations across Canada have raised a number of health concerns about its consumption. Since the Coalition Avenir Québec was elected to a majority government on Oct. 1, it has tabled Bill 2, which would raise the cannabis consumption age from 18 set by Ottawa to 21. Gobbi is to testify next week at hearings on the subject at the National Assembly.

Thousands of Young People Hospitalized Due to Cannabis and Other Substance Use

Last year, more than 23,500 youths were hospitalized in Canada

for harm from substance use - 40% for cannabis use

CBC News 

Cannabis accounted for nearly 40 per cent of hospital stays among youth for harm from substance use,

according to a new Canadian report. (Jason Redmond/Reuters)

About 65 young people in Canada per day land in hospital because of harm caused by cannabis, alcohol, opioids and other substances, according to a new report.

Clinicians and a former user say the findings from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) highlight the desperate need for more community supports to help those with mental health concerns.

The institute released the report, titled "Hospital stays for harm caused by substance use among youth age 10 to 24," on Thursday. The figures present a snapshot of the hospital stays in those age groups in 2017-2018, before the legalization of cannabis.

Last year, more than 23,500 youth were hospitalized for harm from substance use, the report says. In comparison, about 8,000 were hospitalized for illnesses related to the appendix. 

The findings highlight the need to focus attention on youth who experience harm caused by substance use and have mental health conditions occurring at the same time, as well as those who live in lower-income or rural and remote areas, the report's authors said.

Cannabis accounted for nearly 40 per cent of those hospital stays among youth, followed by alcohol-related hospitalizations at about 26 per cent.

OK, so can we stop saying pot is less harmful than alcohol? The frightening outbreak of lung disease among otherwise healthy youth in the US related to vaping, is also being related to the addition of THC drops to the mix. 7 people have died and several hundred made very ill.

Missed opportunities

Dr. Joanna Henderson, a psychologist and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, says the report shows perspectives on substance abuse need to expand, especially when nearly 70 per cent of the hospitalizations for harm caused by substance use involve mental health conditions, as well.

And the questions is, which came first, the chicken or the egg?

That's nearly double the proportion among those aged 25 and older.

I have been reporting for years that pot is related to a great spike in the occurrence of schizophrenia in teenagers. There are numerous reports from all over the world. 

Teenagers who Smoke Cannabis Damage Their Brains for LIFE and May be More Likely to Develop Schizophrenia

Is Your Teen Smoking Pot? Is She Still Sane?

'The Link Between Marijuana and Psychosis is Significant'

Marketplace Tests Today's Marijuana and Finds It Very Dangerous for Under 25s

Pot Smoking Teens Suffer Brain Damage Well Into Adulthood

Another Study Links Pot Use to Increased Psychosis Development

Does Pot make you Crazy?

More Research on the Dangerous Effects of Marijuana on the Brain

Pot, Schizophrenia, and The Truth

ER Visits for Self-Harming Doubles in 8 Years in Ontario - Why?

Think Cannabis is Harmless? So Did I. But I Know Better Now

Pediatricians Need More Information on Medical Marijuana for Kids, Study Says

The Mad Rush to Legalize Pot Will Result in a Lot of Canadians Suffering Intolerably

"We need adequate services in the hospital but we also need to be thinking about how are we intervening sooner," said Henderson, who was not involved in the research.

"We are missing opportunities like schools, local malls … where young people are."

Young people need places in communities that are one-stop shops to connect them with employment, education, housing and health services, including mental health and substance use, she said.

'You're not alone'

Lucas Wade, 31, first started smoking cannabis at 17 "out of peer pressure," he said.  At age 20, he was toking daily for pleasure along with boozing. 

"I was admitted to hospital after my roommate found me after trying to suicide because I couldn't stop smoking pot, no matter what," Wade said. "I couldn't keep living that way."

Wade ended up homeless when a landlord evicted him for smoking indoors after signing a contract saying he wouldn't.

Wade studied social work and now works as a support counselor in Toronto, where he sees many youth with underlining mental health issues using substances as a coping mechanism.

The first step is to talk to someone close to you, such as a best friend, parent or sibling, Wade said.

(CIHI)

Remember, these numbers are from before cannabis was legalized. Next year's numbers will be considerably worse.

"If you're the youth, find a safe space or people where you can share and talk about this stuff because it is so hard. When you're in the throes of it, you feel so alone. You're not alone."

Previous research suggests young people with pre-existing mental health concerns can be at higher risk for problematic substance use and it occurs in the other direction as well, Henderson said.

Don't skip over that last line.  It occurs in the other direction as well means substance abuse can cause mental illness, as the many articles linked above indicate.

It's important not only to collect consistent data across Canada regularly to find any changes but to speak to young people about their experience with how services are delivered, she added.

About 17 per cent of the youth were hospitalized more than once in the same fiscal year, according to CIHI. That's another red flag for the need for better community supports, clinicians say.

Hospitalization rates varied by province and territory. The hospital stays are "the tip of the iceberg when it comes to estimating harm caused by substance use," CIHI said, and doesn't include fatal overdoses in the community.

Where to get help:

Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text) | crisisservicescanada.ca (chat).

In Quebec (French): Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553).

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), www.kidshelpphone.ca (live chat counselling).

Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

Another Study Links Pot Use to Increased Psychosis Development

Smoking pot daily raises psychosis risk,

study finds

Researchers analyzed data from a dozen sites across

Europe and Brazil from 2010 to 2015

The Associated Press 

Experts say the new study's findings have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana

Smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rates.

The research adds to previous studies that have found links between marijuana and mental health problems, but still does not definitively pinpoint marijuana as the cause.

Psychotic disorders — in which people lose touch with reality — are typically triggered by factors including genetics and the environment. But experts say the new study's findings have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana, warning they should consider the potential impact on their mental health services.

"If we think there's something particular about (high-potency) cannabis, then making that harder to get a hold of, could be a useful harm-reduction measure," said Suzanne Gage, of the University of Liverpool, who was not connected to the new study.

Researchers at King's College London and elsewhere analyzed data from a dozen sites across Europe and Brazil from 2010 to 2015. About 900 people who were diagnosed with a first episode of the disorder at a mental health clinic, including those with delusions and hallucinations, were compared with more than 1,200 healthy patients. After surveying the patients about their use of cannabis and other drugs, researchers found daily marijuana use was more common among patients with a first episode of psychosis compared with the healthy, control group.

Regular pot users 3X danger

Strong pot users 5X danger

Teens with heavy use of pot 8X danger

The scientists estimated that people who smoked marijuana on a daily basis were three times more likely to be diagnosed with psychosis compared with people who never used the drug. For those who used high-potency marijuana daily, the risk jumped to nearly five times. The paper was published online Tuesday by the journal Lancet. It was paid for by funders including Britain's Medical Research Council, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.

"If you decide to use high-potency marijuana, you should bear in mind: Psychosis is a potential risk," said Dr. Marta Di Forti, of King's College London and the study's lead author. She said it was unknown how frequently people could smoke lower-potency marijuana without raising their likelihood of psychosis, but that less than weekly use appeared to pose no risk.

Di Forti and colleagues estimated that in Amsterdam, about half of new psychosis cases were associated with smoking high-potency pot.

Gage noted that it was possible that people with a family history of psychosis or other risk factors might be more susceptible to developing problems like psychosis or schizophrenia if they used cannabis.

"That could be the thing that tips the scale for some people," she said. "Cannabis for them could be an extra risk factor, but it definitely doesn't have to be involved. If you use cannabis, it doesn't mean you are definitely going to develop psychosis."

No age groups in study!

It just means you are playing Russian Roulette with your sanity and your future, especially if you are a teenager. This study, unfortunately, doesn't break down the risks to various age groups, but other studies show a dramatic increase in the risk of Schizophrenia developing in teens who use pot. At least one expert says there is a one in six probability of young teens developing full-blown Schizophrenia from using pot.

"If you smoke a lot of marijuana when you are young

or in your teens, your chance of having psychosis later

on in life is about eight times higher than other people,"

Dr. Bill MacEwan, assistant director of UBC's dept. of psychiatry

Ban Gummy Bears and Other Kid-Friendly Cannabis Edibles, says Toronto Medical Officer of Health

In new report, Dr. Eileen de Villa calls on federal government to keep youth safe

Lauren Pelley · CBC News

THC-laced gummy bears found by police in Laval, Quebec in 2017. In a new report, Dr. Eileen de Villa recommends

that Toronto's board of health urge the federal government to ban kid-friendly edibles like these. (Laval Police)

With Health Canada aiming to regulate edibles later this year, Toronto's medical officer of health is calling for a ban on products like gummy bears, lollipops, and candy-flavoured vaping flavours that could appeal to kids.

In a new report, Dr. Eileen de Villa also recommends that the city's board of health urge the federal government to adopt a variety of other strategies to keep youth safe — including prohibiting promotion of vaping products in places youth can access, and banning marketing materials showing cannabis use in movies and video games.

"Implementing restrictions through federal legislation will be most effective in preventing youth access to cannabis vaping products," De Villa writes.

The report comes two months after the federal government announced plans to amend the Cannabis Act to allow for the sale of vaping liquids and oils, edibles, and topical products, with draft regulations expected to come into force this October.

De Villa's recommendations are heading to the board of health on Feb. 25.

"If you're legalizing edibles in the form of gummy bears and lollipops, well then, you're going to increase the likelihood of kids consuming those," said Coun. Joe Cressy, chair of the board of health.

It's "critical" the country regulates the products in a way that "reduces the potential negative impacts, and importantly, has a focus on reducing those impacts on young children," Cressy continued.

Youth cannabis exposure on the rise

The new recommendations are meant to be "proactive," he added, but already, the potential dangers of edible use among youth have made headlines in Canada.

In Oshawa last year, two students were sent to hospital after eating pot-infused cookies, and in Sarnia, a cannabis-infused gummy bear left four teenage girls feeling ill — just two examples of a growing trend. 

From 2013 to 2017, calls to the Ontario Poison Centre for cannabis exposure for children and youth under 19 increased from 116 to 234, CBC Toronto reported in December.

"Lessons learned from the United States underscore the importance of preventing accidental consumption of edibles by children," noted de Villa in her report.

"Following cannabis legalization in Colorado, there was an increase in the hospitalization of children due to accidental consumption of edible cannabis prior to the introduction of more health protective regulations."

'Obviously, no one wants to attract children,' said longtime cannabis industry professional Abi Roach. Still, she cautioned against the government being too 'overbearing' when it comes to regulating edibles.

(Evan Mitsui/CBCNews)

'No one wants to attract children'

"Obviously, no one wants to attract children," said longtime cannabis industry professional Abi Roach, who owns cannabis paraphernalia store HotBox Cafe in Kensington Market.

In her store, no patrons under 19 are allowed in unless they're accompanied by a parent, and education on safe edibles and child-proofing is part of the sales process, she said.

But Roach cautioned against the government being too "overbearing" when it comes to regulating edibles. "It's up to the parents who consume to keep these away from their children," she said.

A rather laissez-faire attitude. She seems to be suggesting there should be no controls over edibles, but the government should leave it up to parents to protect their children. Parents who are pot-heads! What could possibly go wrong?

Think Cannabis is Harmless? So Did I. But I Know Better Now

Opinion: In 2017, 567 people were treated at Vancouver-area

hospitals for cannabis overdoses or related mental issues.

I was one of them.

The emergency entrance at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver is seen in a file photo from June 24, 2009.

Ian Lindsay/Postmedia

By Jennifer Foden, National Post

Last year, shortly before cannabis was legalized, StarMetro Vancouver reported that in 2017, 567 people were admitted to emergency rooms at St. Paul’s, Vancouver General, Surrey Memorial and Kelowna General hospitals for cannabis overdoses or related mental and behavioural issues.

I was one of them.

This isn’t easy to write about. I’m well aware that this will be part of my story forever, for anyone to look up online. Still, people need to know the risks.

In mid-2017, on a typical Saturday night, two friends and I were cooking dinner. A friend offered me half a medical marijuana gummy. She took the other half. About 45 minutes later, I started to feel strange. It’s hard to explain how. I had had bad experiences with weed before. This felt similar; like I knew something very bad was about to happen.

People need to know the risks

I decided to go home. I, still, to this day, don’t know what actually happened that night and what didn’t. I was totally disconnected from reality. I was hallucinating, dreaming while awake. Welcome to a weed overdose, friends — a drug-induced psychosis.

I remember walking down the street, not being able to swallow. Falling down. Laying face-first on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver yelling at people driving and walking by that I was dying. I remember the paramedics kicking me out of the ambulance. I remember dead people being wheeled past me in the emergency room at St. Paul’s. But I’m not entirely sure if any of these things happened.

I didn’t know my name or who I was or where I was or what it even means to be human and have a body and a brain. I didn’t understand time or space, life or death. It was very metaphysical.

Recreational marijuana became legal in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018. Trevor Hagan/Bloomberg

My friend, who ate the other half of the gummy, showed up to hold my hand in the hospital. She was high, but fine. She wasn’t having an adverse reaction like I was.

I started feeling strange after that “bad trip.” Unlike before, my brain was filled with thoughts of suicide, death and existential questions. I attempted to push the thoughts out of my mind, assuming it was the after-effect of that little green drug.

Six weeks after that drug trip, I had nervous breakdown. I was sitting at my desk when suddenly, something felt different, something felt off. I felt uncomfortable in my body. My heart started racing. I began to think a lot about existence. I felt disconnected. Like my mind and my body had separated. Like I was living in an altered reality. I thought I was losing my mind, or perhaps I was dying. The worst part? I wanted to die.

The worst part? I wanted to die

   

I wound up in the emergency room and then a mental health facility. Further psychiatric assessment would tell me I was suffering from panic and residual drug-induced psychotic disorders. Later, I’d have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

It’s been almost a year and a half since the drug trip. I continue to suffer from panic attacks. And, every single day, I still feel disconnected, like my mind and my body have separated, like I’m living in an altered reality. Some days are worse than others.

For some reason, I feel compelled to clarify that up until this point — for over 30 years — I was mentally stable. I have the privilege of white skin, a middle-class upbringing, great friends, a university degree and a post-grad education, too. I’ve held staff editor jobs. I’ve freelanced successfully. There were no red flags for my mental health.

There were no red flags for my mental health

   

A recent report claimed that a bad drug trip can be a sign of mental illness — not as a cause, but as a trigger. I’ve spent a lot of the past year and a half feeling guilty. Like I caused my mental illness by eating that weed gummy. But how could I have known? I have smoked and eaten weed before, sometimes with adverse effects. But the end result has never been multiple mental illnesses: panic, post-traumatic stress and residual drug-induced psychotic disorders. Maybe it was the perfect storm: I ate the right amount of the right strain at a time when I was stressed, and therefore vulnerable to a breakdown.

This is not a pity party. I don’t want you to feel bad for me. I’m telling this story because I think it’s important for people to realize that although cannabis has a reputation as being safe and benign, that’s not always the case. As my psychiatrist likes to remind me: people’s minds and bodies are different, and have varying reactions to drugs, to alcohol, to stress.

I’m still going through the process of healing. For people who haven’t been through something similar: be careful. It’s been reported that the current endorsed guidelines to prevent mental illness risk from marijuana consumption is to use less, use lower levels of THC or abstain. But, talk to your friends. Share this story. So, I guess this article is a PSA: don’t be number 568.

— Originally from Toronto, Jennifer Foden is a freelance writer and editor living in Vancouver.

Jennifer appears to be in her 30s as she recovers from her nightmarish experience. I'm not convinced that you need a predilection toward mental illness to be triggered by cannabis. I am aware, especially of teenagers who have protracted severe schizophrenia and paranoia from using pot, and like Jennifer, had no indicators of mental illness whatsoever.

I hope Coastal and Fraser Health keep detailed records on people who end up in ERs because of cannabis related issues. We have much to learn about this insidious experiment that our Very Liberal government has hastily inflicted upon Canadian society.

Just 1 or 2 Experiences with Marijuana May Alter Teen Brain

Adolescent brains are going to be more vulnerable to anything

drug or environmentally related, expert says

Thomson Reuters

New findings are considered a step toward understanding the impact of cannabis on young brains.

(Ben Nelms/Reuters)

Teens who use pot just one or two times may end up with changes to their brains, a new study finds.

There were clear differences on brain scans between teens who said they had tried cannabis a couple of times and those who completely eschewed the drug, researchers reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.

There have been hints that even small amounts of pot at a young age might impact the brain, said the study's lead author, Catherine Orr, a lecturer at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. 

"Research using animals to study the effects of cannabis on the brain have shown effects at very low levels, so we had reason to believe that brain changes might occur at even the earliest stages of cannabis use," Orr said in an email.

Still, she said, "I was surprised by the extent of the effects."

With an estimated 35 percent of U.S. teens using cannabis, the new findings are concerning, the researchers noted.

Orr and her colleagues saw widespread increases in the volume of grey matter in brain regions that are rich with cannabinoid receptors. Grey matter, which is made up of nerve cell bodies, is involved in sensory perception and muscle control.

To take a closer look at the impact of mild marijuana use in developing brains, Orr's team analyzed brain scans gathered as part of the larger IMAGEN study, which was designed to look into adolescent brain development.

The researchers analyzed images from 46 14-year-olds who said they had used marijuana once or twice, as well as images from 46 non-cannabis using teens matched "on age, sex, handedness, pubertal status, IQ, socioeconomic status, and use of alcohol and tobacco," Orr said.

Brain volume

The researchers spotted clear differences between the two groups, which they suspect are due to the low-level pot use. 

They acknowledge that the study didn't actually prove that marijuana led to the differences seen in the scans. It's possible that those who chose to use weed were different to begin with and that the marijuana hadn't played a role in brain development.

In other words, they might have been brain-damaged to start.

To try to address this question, the researchers analyzed scans from a third group of teens who had not tried marijuana before they had their brain scans at age 14. By age 16, 69 of these kids said they had used marijuana at least 10 times. But their brain scans at age 14 looked no different than brain scans of other kids who had not taken up cannabis by age 16, which meant there wasn't any inborn brain difference that would have predicted who would later become a pot user.

There may be serious implications to the brain changes noted by the researchers. "In our sample of cannabis users, the greater volumes in the affected parts of the brain were associated with reductions in psychomotor speed and perceptual reasoning and with increased levels of anxiety two years later," Orr said.

The reason for the higher volume of grey matter in cannabinoid-rich regions of the brain may be related to a normal process called "pruning" which may go awry when kids use marijuana, Orr said. As young brains develop, unnecessary or defective neurons are pruned away, she explained. When the system doesn't work correctly, those cells remain in place.

This may actually support the theory I have been pushing for several years. It's an observation I have made numerous times over several decades. That is, people who smoke pot often fail to progress in terms of maturity. This may be restricted to those who start using as teens; I don't know. But I have seen many pot users who started smoking joints when they were teens, and in their 30s and 40s, still acted like teenagers with regard to their dress, their taste in music, their language, their likes in many different areas. They just don't progress as normal.

The new findings are a step toward understanding the impact of cannabis on young brains, said Dr. Michael Lynch, a toxicologist and emergency medicine physician and director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "It's important that there was a change," Lynch said. "Adolescent brains are going to be more vulnerable to anything drug or environmentally related."

If pruning isn't working right, "the brain may not work as efficiently as it should," Lynch said. "But I don't think we can make a final determination on that from this study."

Definitely need more study. But let's all legalize it anyway. It's just kids we're talking about. Not like it's important.

Canada, and other countries and state's rush to legalize pot has turned a generation into an experiment. When the results of that experiment come in - God help us.

Dutch PM Warns Canadians Against Sparking Up

Mark Rutte is not my favourite person. His government is far-left, though not as far as Trudeau's. He, like other far-left governments in parts of the EU are putting their own women and children at risk by hiding the disastrous atrocities committed by migrants, in the name of political correctness. He also supported Islamic brigades in Syria that supported ISIS. So, no, I don't like Mark Rutte, but what he has to say about cannabis makes sense and comes from a country with 40 years of experience.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte and some cannabis at a dispensary in Ottawa, Canada

© (L) Reuters / Aris Oikonomou ; (R) Reuters / Chris Wattie

Canadians had barely enjoyed legal marijuana for even a fortnight when they received high-level advice against using it, from the unlikeliest of people: the prime minister of the Netherlands.

Mark Rutte’s warnings came on his Thursday visit to Canada, just over a week after its much-anticipated cannabis legalization. He and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau were talking pot use in front of a young audience in Ottawa.

The best policy on drugs for yourself is 'no first use.'

It sounds conservative, but I would urge you:

Don't try at all.

That, coming from the prime minister of a country where buying and using marijuana in designated spaces has been legal for over 40 years. Many of Amsterdam's five million annual tourists specifically flock to its "coffee shops" to spark up or eat pot edibles without fearing the long arm of the law.

One of the problems with today's cannabis is that it's

"so much stronger than when we were young,"

Naturally, young Canadians were interested in Rutte's experience – but didn't get the endorsement they perhaps expected. One of the problems with today's cannabis is that it's "so much stronger than when we were young," Rutte said. He then mentioned his friends' children who were having mental health problems from its use.

He then mentioned his friends' children

who were having mental health problems from its use.

“At least make sure that you don't move from this stuff to other drugs,” Rutte added, perhaps acknowledging that his advice may fall on deaf ears.

Canada is only the second country after Uruguay, and the first of the G20 countries, to fully legalize the growing, selling, and consumption of cannabis, with Trudeau saying the laws removed the “contact that people had with criminals.”

Despite his misgivings about cannabis use, Rutte said the Netherlands too were looking at potential reforms to their own laws, saying coffee shops now have no way of getting the product legally. He added a pilot project was now underway in 10 Dutch cities to fix that.

Like I said!

Let's Clear Up Some Misconceptions About Cannabis Addiction. First Off: Yes, It's Real

Here's what I've observed as a clinical psychologist researching and treating people with cannabis addiction

Dr. Jonathan Stea · for CBC News ·

Cannabis addiction is qualitatively different from a heroin addiction, for example, insofar as it is much less intense and not directly life-threatening. But it is also not trivial because it can lead to significant life-altering challenges. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

I am not a propagandist. I am not a spokesperson for Reefer Madness. I have, however, been pilloried with such accusations for writing about the very real issue of cannabis addiction.

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada arriving in just a couple of months — and provinces finalizing their plans for cannabis retail infrastructure — we should consider the multifaceted impact of a previously-prohibited substance suddenly becoming more readily available. And for roughly one in 10 people who try cannabis, one potential impact could be addiction.

Cannabis addiction is qualitatively different from a heroin addiction, for example, insofar as it is much less intense and not directly life-threatening. But it is also not trivial because it can lead to significant life-altering challenges, including problems with relationships, work, school and mental health. Indeed, one hallmark of addiction is when substance use directly and repeatedly activates the brain-reward system, ultimately leading to significant distress and interference with daily functioning.

Clearing up misconceptions

My particular focus on cannabis addiction is not meant to undermine or negate the potential benefits of cannabis, but rather it is a reflection of my role as a clinical psychologist who has researched and treated people with cannabis addiction for over 10 years.

Last month, I published a piece for Slate about cannabis addiction and was inundated with responses containing a multitude of misconceptions: that cannabis addiction is purely psychological, that cannabis withdrawal is not real, that only those with addictive personalities are susceptible and that cannabis addiction as a phenomenon does not exist at all. I want to address some of those misconceptions here.

For those who believe that cannabis addiction is not real: I encourage you to take a tour of an addiction treatment program. There, you will find people who voluntarily show up for help and are struggling to reassemble their lives as a consequence of an addiction to a substance that many people consider relatively harmless. 

Cannabis can directly and almost immediately change your emotional state. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Many people erroneously believe that cannabis is only addicting in the same way that anything can be addicting: work, exercise, shopping, video games, TV, Twitter, etc. While there is ongoing debate in the scientific literature about the status of what is sometimes called "process addictions" — or behavioural addictions that do not involve substances, such as sex or gambling or video games — cannabis differs from these activities insofar as it can act as an acutely psychoactive/mind-altering substance.

This means that cannabis can directly and almost immediately change your emotional state, such that your brain can become trained to respond to uncomfortable emotions with craving or a strong desire to use cannabis. Unfortunately, if a person practises coping with emotions with the use of substances, they forgo the opportunity to practise managing uncomfortable emotions in healthy ways.

Yes, other activities might also be used to immediately manage difficult emotions, but not via an exogenous and acutely mind-altering substance. And yes, eating candy might be thought of as a way to change your emotional state, but let's get real: eating candy and hitting a bong several times are changing your emotional state in qualitatively different ways.

Diagnosing addiction

Still, I can understand the skepticism many people experience when they hear the phrase "cannabis addiction." The scientific construct of addiction has a complex history and the concept itself is muddy because its meaning has had many iterations.

The diagnostic criteria of cannabis use disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), one of the main psychiatric texts that is used by mental health professionals to diagnose psychiatric and addictive disorders, includes features such as repeated use resulting in a failure to fulfil major role obligations; repeated use in hazardous situations; continued use despite social/interpersonal problems; cravings; tolerance; withdrawal; use for longer periods or in larger amounts than intended; persistent desire or unsuccessful attempts to control use; a great deal of time spent in activities related to use; reduced important social, occupational, or recreational activities; and continued use despite physical or psychological problems.

A misconception I often hear is that if cannabis addiction is real, it must only be psychologically addicting, not physically addicting. This is not true. Researchers have identified an endogenous cannabinoid system, cannabinoid receptors and cannabinoid antagonists, meaning there is a wealth of biological evidence that cannabis can produce both tolerance and withdrawal in animals as well as humans. There is also evidence that cannabis withdrawal is not rare – the majority of participants in cannabis treatment studies report withdrawal symptoms – and that it is clinically significant and meaningful because it can lead to distress, continued use and relapse. 

Research shows that cannabis withdrawal is similar to nicotine withdrawal: The DSM-5 includes diagnostic criteria for cannabis withdrawal and lists possible signs as including irritability, anger, aggression, nervousness, anxiety, sleep difficulty, decreased appetite, restlessness, depressed mood and some other possible physical symptoms (e.g., abdominal pain, shakiness, sweating, fever, chills, and headache).

Granted, cannabis withdrawal is seriously less intense than, say, an opioid withdrawal, but that does not mean it does not exist and that it does not affect those who experience its symptoms.

A final popular misconception I want to address is the idea that only people with an addictive personality can get addicted to cannabis. The biggest challenge with this view is the contentious status of the "addictive personality" construct. There is no scientific agreement on exactly what constitutes an addictive personality and how exactly it relates to the development of particular addictions.

The development of cannabis addiction appears to follow a principle in psychology called equifinality, which means that the end state of cannabis addiction can arise as the result of the interaction between many different genetic and environmental factors. In other words, two people with different genetic profiles and different personalities and different upbringings can both experience cannabis addiction.  

It is a shame that with respect to cannabis use, people often fail to understand that the helpful and harmful truths about cannabis can co-exist simultaneously. Instead, many prefer categorical, all-or-none thinking. The reality is that the legalization of recreational cannabis is complex and exciting and worrisome all at once. It doesn't make one a propagandist to acknowledge that fact.

Dr. Jonathan N. Stea is a registered and practising clinical psychologist in Calgary, with research and clinical expertise in addiction. He has published many peer-reviewed scientific research papers on topics related to cannabis, addiction and mental health. He provides assessment, treatment, and consultation services in a specialty outpatient program for concurrent addictive and psychiatric disorders.

Pediatricians Need More Information on Medical Marijuana for Kids, Study Says

Finally, someone other than me is asking about the effects of marijuana on kids,

but there are many more questions need answering

About half of Canadian doctors surveyed have child or

adolescent patients who have used cannabis

The Canadian Press 

Workers produce medical marijuana at Canopy Growth Corporation's Tweed facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario. In a survey released by the Canadian Paediatric Society on Thursday, many pediatricians expressed concern about the lack of evidence about medical marijuana's effectiveness and its potential risks. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

About half of pediatric doctors surveyed about cannabis say they've encountered a young patient who had used marijuana for a medical reason.

The questionnaire for the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program found 419 of 835 respondents had a patient who had used either authorized or unauthorized cannabis for some sort of medical relief.

The one-time study did not detail how many cases involved unauthorized use, the nature of the condition being treated or the ages of the patients.

But principal investigator Richard Belanger said he's surprised by the number of young cannabis users and says it points to the need for more information for doctors, parents and patients.

The Quebec City pediatrician, also a professor at Laval University, notes that more than a third of respondents — or 316 doctors — said they had been asked by a parent or adolescent patient to prescribe cannabis.

Only 34 doctors said they had done so, with many expressing reservations about efficacy, impacts to developing young brains, and concerns about abuse and dependence.

'Truly worrisome': Pot legalization will hurt youth unless changes made to proposed law, journal says

The survey was conducted in the spring of 2017 as part of the surveillance program's larger look at a host of hot-button issues, including Lyme disease, Zika virus and eating disorders.

'Not only an adult issue'

Belanger said researchers were surprised by how many kids and adolescents appeared to be turning to medical marijuana: "We thought it was less than that."

"We really want to make clear that cannabis is not only an adult issue, either for recreational but [also] medical purposes," Belanger said of the findings.

"Sometimes when we look at treatment we tend to forget kids, and it should not be the case."

Because kids have no voice. That's why people like Dr Belanger need to speak up twice as loud, 'cause politicians are certainly not listening to kids.

Dr. Richard Belanger, a Quebec pediatrician and principal investigator for the survey, says the use of medical marijuana for children is 'a burning issue' for doctors. (Veronique Cote/Handout photo via Canadian Press)

He suspected younger kids received authorized use for conditions including refractory seizures, cerebral palsy and chronic pain, while adolescents were more likely to be unauthorized users and to treat other conditions "such as sleep problems or anxiety."

Belanger said the higher-than-expected usage could also be because the doctors surveyed generally treat kids with chronic and severe conditions that may require alternative treatments, and because most respondents came from urban and academic centres more likely to handle severe cases.

The survey response rate was also just 31 per cent, which "may under or over represent the knowledge and/or experiences of Canadian pediatricians," said the study released Thursday.

Still, the findings raise questions about how impending legalization of recreational marijuana could impact unauthorized medical use.

"We're a bit anxious regarding that," said Belanger, pointing to "mixed perspectives" among doctors.

"From a pediatric perspective, there's seldom reason to authorize cannabis and maybe seizure is one of them, but still, there's no clear, no big evidence regarding that."

The survey found a clear majority of respondents had no knowledge or minimal knowledge on why cannabis might be prescribed for a child or youth and what products and dosages may be authorized.

"Paradoxically, they have a fairly positive view regarding cannabis use for medical purposes for certain conditions, despite the lack of solid scientific evidence regarding its safety and efficacy," said the survey, noting that could be due to difficult cases with limited therapeutic options.

Although medical marijuana has been legal since 2001, many questions remain, said Belanger: "It's a burning issue."

"There's a large space for the [Canadian Paediatric Society] or any other association or authorities to give more information on what are the clear facts regarding the possible benefits and the likely adverse events that can be related to medical use of cannabis."

Belanger noted that the data was gathered prior to the publication of a pivotal study evaluating the use of cannabidiol (CBD) to treat epilepsy among children with Dravet syndrome. The study was in the New England Journal of Medicine in the spring of 2017.

Still, he bemoaned a dearth of material to offer guidance. While more studies are underway, he said, they mostly look at CBD and its effects on seizures and severe conditions.

See below (More Potent Pot) to see why CBD is being bred out of pot.

"There are still problematic issues of studying cannabis with kids. I won't counsel anyone from entering a study exposing someone to cannabis if they don't have severe conditions.... On the contrary, in the adult field, there are many more studies regarding cannabis either for pain related to arthritis, pain related to fibromyalgia or spasticity regarding multiple sclerosis."

In the meantime, many parents and adolescents are asking for cannabis prescriptions.

"I think that everyone right now is aware that cannabis is not a simple thing," said Belanger. "When someone starts using cannabis for a long period of time at an early age, it's probably at that time that the greater impact is likely. But at the same time, if your kids have seizures several times a day, what's the worse issue? It's kind of a tricky question for parents."

There are many other questions that need to be answered, like:

What happens to a kid who gets a steady stream of 2nd hand pot smoke?

What happens to a kid who eats a handful of marijuana edibles?

What does a one-time overdose on pot do to a small child?

How are police and social services supposed to deal with chronic pot users with small children?

What little we do know:

Medical journal calls for tighter rules on legal pot to protect young

Powerful pot strains put developing brains of young people at risk, CMAJ editorial says

CBC News 

A pot smoker has a joint at the annual 4/20 day, which promotes the use of marijuana, in Vancouver.

Cannabis shouldn't be used by young people, a medical journal editorial says. (David Horemans/CBC)

Marijuana legalization will harm the health of youth unless major changes to the proposed law are made to protect their developing brains, a medical journal editorial says.

Dr. Diane Kelsall, interim editor in chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says Bill C-45 fails to safeguard vulnerable youth.

"There are a number of things in the legislation that are truly worrisome," Kelsall said in an interview. "If the intent is truly a public health approach and to protect our youth this legislation is not doing it."

Canadian young people ranked first for cannabis use in North America and Europe, with one-third saying they tried it at least once by age 15, the Canadian Pediatric Society says. 

Before the federal election, physicians said the right legislation to legalize pot might curb teen toking by restricting access.

The editorial takes issue with several aspects of the bill, which:

- Sets the minimum age to buy recreational marijuana at 18. Kelsall calls that too young given evidence suggesting that the human brain doesn't mature until about age 25.

- Allows people to grow pot at home, which Kelsall said increases the likelihood of diversion to young people.

- Lacks national standards for retail distribution.

- Lacks limits on potency of strains despite increased risk of harmful effects with higher-strength cannabis.

The guinea pigs are the kids

"From my perspective, from my colleagues' perspective, this legislation is being pushed through," Kelsall said. "We're just very worried that we're conducting a national experiment and unfortunately the guinea pigs are kids."

On Monday, Health Minister Jane Philpott was asked by reporters if she was prepared to change the age. 

"Provinces and territories will have the opportunity to address the age," Philpott said. "Our bill is not entirely through the legislative process. It is possible that it could change along the way."

Making a product legal does not mean it is advisable or recommended, Philpott said. 

Marijuana as a psychosis trigger

At the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, psychiatrist Romina Mizrah uses PET scanners to study how cannabis use changes brain function in young people with an average age of 20.

In young people who regularly use cannabis, preliminary evidence points to a reduction in an enzyme that regulates the endocannabinoid system that buffers key chemistry within the brain, said Mizrahi.

"There is some understanding at this point from epidemiological studies that certainly marijuana is a trigger," said Mizrahi, director of the Focus on Youth Psychosis Prevention program. "Marijuana use predates the psychosis. Whether it causes the psychosis, that's a different question and that we don't know."

I suspect there needs to be a susceptibility toward psychosis present, but that susceptibility might reside in a very large segment of the population, and, it might remain dormant through a person's entire life without a trigger like marijuana.

It may be possible in the future to determine whether or not a person is susceptible to psychosis and should therefore avoid pot like the plague. But it isn't possible now, nevertheless, we rush in anyway.

Studies using MRI scanners also show physical and functional changes in the developing brains of regular users that are associated with damage, Kelsall said.

More potent pot

Mike Stroh, 35, of Toronto says he's part of a generation who grew up smoking current strains of marijuana, which have been genetically selected to produce a powerful high, with THC levels of about 20 per cent. That's up from around seven per cent in the 1960s and '70s.       

And the methodology of raising the THC requires the reduction of CBD. It's CBD that may be helpful to those mentioned above with epilepsy or certain other conditions. CBD may also decrease the risk of contracting schizophrenia or other psychosis. So, of course, we remove it to make the THC more powerful. How insane are we? 

If we had the research, the government could restrict the amount of THC and ensure a certain level of CBD be present. This would reduce the risk of developing psychosis. But, our extreme left government cannot wait for such research, we must have pot legalized and we must have it now.

"I was into sports," Stroh recalled. "I wanted to do stuff at school, but I wouldn't make it to the practice, I wouldn't make it to the tryouts, because I was either up all night selling drugs, trying to get them, fall asleep in a drug-induced coma, and then wake up in a mess."

Mike Stroh with his kids. Stroh is now a mental-health advocate who wants to show recovery is possible. (Mike Stroh)

Stroh also lived with depression and anxiety and said he was never able to like himself. "That's the torment that brought me to my knees." He felt robbed of being himself and the opportunity for emotional maturity, cognitive development and professional opportunities.  

"Because marijuana doesn't bring you to your knees as quickly as other drugs may … there's this illusion that because you can be high and do things, it's not bad, so to speak."

Stroh is now a mental health advocate who draws on his personal and family experiences to educate.

"We need to teach kids how to take care of themselves so when they do feel anxious and do feel depressed, scared or … frustrated with life, because yes, that's a part of being a teenager, then they learn that there's so many things they can do to help themselves as opposed to use drugs."