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Updated: May 17, 2026
07:30
Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
[Can cannabis use increase the risk for schizophrenic psychoses?]
1Zentrum für Gender Research und Früherkennung, Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken, Universitätsspital Basel, Schweiz.
Fortschritte Der Neurologie-Psychiatrie
|November 10, 2012
Summary
Cannabis use may plausibly cause schizophrenia, particularly in adolescents and those predisposed. While not definitively proven, evidence links cannabis to schizophrenic psychoses.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Environmental Health
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Cannabis is increasingly recognized as an environmental risk factor for schizophrenic psychoses.
- High doses of cannabis can induce acute psychotic symptoms in healthy individuals.
- Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit higher rates of cannabis abuse compared to controls.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the evidence for a causal link between cannabis use and schizophrenic psychoses.
- To determine if cannabis use can precipitate schizophrenic psychoses in individuals who would not otherwise develop them.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review was conducted.
- Databases searched included PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and PsycINFO.
- Keywords used were: cannabis, marijuana, THC, hashish, psychosis, and schizophrenia.
Main Results:
- The evidence strongly supports the plausibility of a causal relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenic psychoses.
- A definitive causal link has not yet been conclusively proven.
- Cannabis use appears to increase psychosis risk, especially in vulnerable populations.
Conclusions:
- Cannabis use is a plausible causal factor in the development of schizophrenic psychoses.
- The risk is elevated in individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia.
- Adolescents with early-onset cannabis use are particularly susceptible.
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