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Updated: Jul 6, 2025

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Cannabis-induced psychotic disorder with onset during withdrawal: a brief report of emerging evidence
Johan Cohen1, Hugues Petitjean2, M Belen Blasco1,3
1Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Objectives:
The link between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms or disorders is well known. However, the relation between cannabis withdrawal and psychotic symptoms is less studied.
Methods:
To our knowledge, this is the first publication of an observational systematic report of cannabis-induced psychotic disorder with onset during withdrawal. Here, we review patients presenting to a major emergency room in Montreal between January 2020 and September 2023 in a context of psychotic symptoms following cannabis cessation.
Results:
In total, seven male and one female patients presented at the peak of cannabis withdrawal with acute psychotic symptoms, representing less than 1% of all emergency service admissions.
Conclusions:
We discuss current knowledge regarding the endocannabinoid system and dopamine homeostasis to formulate hypotheses regarding these observations.
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