High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis

Marta Di Forti; Craig Morgan; Paola Dazzan; Carmine Pariante; Valeria Mondelli; Tiago Reis Marques; Rowena Handley; Sonija Luzi; Manuela Russo; Alessandra Paparelli; Alexander Butt; Simona A. Stilo; Ben Wiffen; John Powell; Robin M. Murray

doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.109.064220

High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis

Marta Di Forti, Craig Morgan, Paola Dazzan, Carmine Pariante, Valeria Mondelli, Tiago Reis Marques, Rowena Handley, Sonija Luzi, Manuela Russo, Alessandra Paparelli, Alexander Butt, Simona A. Stilo, Ben Wiffen, John Powell, Robin M. Murray

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

443 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background People who use cannabis have an increased risk of psychosis, an effect attributed to the active ingredient Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9-THC). There has recently been concern over an increase in the concentration of Delta 9-THC in the cannabis available in many countries. Aims To investigate whether people with a first episode of psychosis were particularly likely to use high-potency cannabis. Method We collected information on cannabis use from 280 cases presenting with a first episode of psychosis to the South London & Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, and from 174 healthy controls recruited from the local population. Results There was no significant difference between cases and controls in whether they had ever taken cannabis, or age at first use. However, those in the cases group were more likely to be current daily users (OR = 6.4) and to have smoked cannabis for more than 5 years (OR = 2.1). Among those who used cannabis, 78% of the cases group used high-potency cannabis (sinsemilla, 'skunk') compared with 37% of the control group (OR 6.8). Conclusions The finding that people with a first episode of psychosis had smoked higher-potency cannabis, for longer and with greater frequency, than a healthy control group is consistent with the hypothesis that Delta 9-THC is the active ingredient increasing risk of psychosis. This has important public health implications, given the increased availability and use of high-potency cannabis.

Original language	English
Article number	N/A
Pages (from-to)	488-491
Number of pages	4
Journal	British Journal of Psychiatry
Volume	195
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.109.064220
Publication status	Published - Dec 2009

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10.1192/bjp.bp.109.064220

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@article{1fa9868c05e64209a0bbcb15b7c54ddd,

title = "High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis",

abstract = "Background People who use cannabis have an increased risk of psychosis, an effect attributed to the active ingredient Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9-THC). There has recently been concern over an increase in the concentration of Delta 9-THC in the cannabis available in many countries. Aims To investigate whether people with a first episode of psychosis were particularly likely to use high-potency cannabis. Method We collected information on cannabis use from 280 cases presenting with a first episode of psychosis to the South London & Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, and from 174 healthy controls recruited from the local population. Results There was no significant difference between cases and controls in whether they had ever taken cannabis, or age at first use. However, those in the cases group were more likely to be current daily users (OR = 6.4) and to have smoked cannabis for more than 5 years (OR = 2.1). Among those who used cannabis, 78% of the cases group used high-potency cannabis (sinsemilla, 'skunk') compared with 37% of the control group (OR 6.8). Conclusions The finding that people with a first episode of psychosis had smoked higher-potency cannabis, for longer and with greater frequency, than a healthy control group is consistent with the hypothesis that Delta 9-THC is the active ingredient increasing risk of psychosis. This has important public health implications, given the increased availability and use of high-potency cannabis.",

author = "{Di Forti}, Marta and Craig Morgan and Paola Dazzan and Carmine Pariante and Valeria Mondelli and Marques, {Tiago Reis} and Rowena Handley and Sonija Luzi and Manuela Russo and Alessandra Paparelli and Alexander Butt and Stilo, {Simona A.} and Ben Wiffen and John Powell and Murray, {Robin M.}",

year = "2009",

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doi = "10.1192/bjp.bp.109.064220",

language = "English",

volume = "195",

pages = "488--491",

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T1 - High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis

AU - Di Forti, Marta

AU - Morgan, Craig

AU - Dazzan, Paola

AU - Pariante, Carmine

AU - Mondelli, Valeria

AU - Marques, Tiago Reis

AU - Handley, Rowena

AU - Luzi, Sonija

AU - Russo, Manuela

AU - Paparelli, Alessandra

AU - Butt, Alexander

AU - Stilo, Simona A.

AU - Wiffen, Ben

AU - Powell, John

AU - Murray, Robin M.

PY - 2009/12

Y1 - 2009/12

N2 - Background People who use cannabis have an increased risk of psychosis, an effect attributed to the active ingredient Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9-THC). There has recently been concern over an increase in the concentration of Delta 9-THC in the cannabis available in many countries. Aims To investigate whether people with a first episode of psychosis were particularly likely to use high-potency cannabis. Method We collected information on cannabis use from 280 cases presenting with a first episode of psychosis to the South London & Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, and from 174 healthy controls recruited from the local population. Results There was no significant difference between cases and controls in whether they had ever taken cannabis, or age at first use. However, those in the cases group were more likely to be current daily users (OR = 6.4) and to have smoked cannabis for more than 5 years (OR = 2.1). Among those who used cannabis, 78% of the cases group used high-potency cannabis (sinsemilla, 'skunk') compared with 37% of the control group (OR 6.8). Conclusions The finding that people with a first episode of psychosis had smoked higher-potency cannabis, for longer and with greater frequency, than a healthy control group is consistent with the hypothesis that Delta 9-THC is the active ingredient increasing risk of psychosis. This has important public health implications, given the increased availability and use of high-potency cannabis.

AB - Background People who use cannabis have an increased risk of psychosis, an effect attributed to the active ingredient Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9-THC). There has recently been concern over an increase in the concentration of Delta 9-THC in the cannabis available in many countries. Aims To investigate whether people with a first episode of psychosis were particularly likely to use high-potency cannabis. Method We collected information on cannabis use from 280 cases presenting with a first episode of psychosis to the South London & Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, and from 174 healthy controls recruited from the local population. Results There was no significant difference between cases and controls in whether they had ever taken cannabis, or age at first use. However, those in the cases group were more likely to be current daily users (OR = 6.4) and to have smoked cannabis for more than 5 years (OR = 2.1). Among those who used cannabis, 78% of the cases group used high-potency cannabis (sinsemilla, 'skunk') compared with 37% of the control group (OR 6.8). Conclusions The finding that people with a first episode of psychosis had smoked higher-potency cannabis, for longer and with greater frequency, than a healthy control group is consistent with the hypothesis that Delta 9-THC is the active ingredient increasing risk of psychosis. This has important public health implications, given the increased availability and use of high-potency cannabis.

U2 - 10.1192/bjp.bp.109.064220

DO - 10.1192/bjp.bp.109.064220

M3 - Article

SN - 1472-1465

VL - 195

SP - 488

EP - 491

JO - British Journal of Psychiatry

JF - British Journal of Psychiatry

IS - 6

M1 - N/A

ER -

High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis

Abstract

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