
Dirty habit of 18 million Americans linked to 'significant' surge in psychotic episodes
Some marijuana vapes contain up to 98 percent THC, the chemical responsible for the drug's psychoactive effects, levels that experts say are driving a surge in mental health crises.
Dr Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist and TV personality, said Friday: 'The concentration of cannabis is so high… we are seeing a significant uptick in psychotic illness,' adding that cannabis 'makes people with psychotic illness much worse.'
The warnings come as marijuana legalization continues to expand. Recreational use is now legal in 24 states and Washington, DC, creating a $20 billion industry, and a black market, flooded with ultra-potent products in the form of edibles, dabs, oils, and vapes.
Doctors and researchers have said that these products are fueling a public health crisis that is still unfolding.
'We've seen the marked incidence of trouble, mostly caused by the high potency of cannabis,' Dr Drew said.
'So now we are seeing people who are unable to function, they have difficulty at work, psychotic episodes, mood disturbances, and severe addiction.'
Polling from 2023 suggests nearly 44 million Americans use marijuana, with 18 million consuming it daily or near daily.
Many seek it out to ease anxiety or depression. But growing research shows high doses of THC may do just the opposite, disrupting mood, distorting reality, and triggering temporary or even prolonged psychosis.
The issue is especially concerning in young adults, whose brains are still developing.
Regular use of potent cannabis in adolescence has been linked to long-term changes in brain structure, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for decision-making, emotional regulation, and impulse control.
This is also the age when many psychotic disorders first appear.
Emerging data suggest the link is more than just a coincidence. THC may trigger schizophrenia or psychotic episodes in individuals with genetic predispositions.
A 2022 review by University of Bath researchers, which analyzed 20 studies involving 120,000 people, found users of high-potency cannabis were four times more likely to develop addiction and three to five times more likely to suffer a psychotic break compared to those using lower-potency strains.
Earlier this year, a report in JAMA Network Open found that, emergency room visits in Ontario, Canada, linked to schizophrenia in marijuana users tripled after legalization.
Between 2006 and 2022, the rate of schizophrenia among those with cannabis use disorder climbed from four percent to over 10 percent. In contrast, just 0.6 percent of non-users developed the condition.
Doctors across the US have echoed the concerns raised by Dr Drew since the wave of state-level legalization began about 15 years ago.
What was once considered a mellow, low-risk drug is now being reexamined in light of products that bear little resemblance to the marijuana of past generations.
Between 1995 and 2022, THC levels in cannabis seized by law enforcement quadrupled, from 3.96 percent to 16.14 percent, while modern concentrates can exceed 90 percent.
Despite the public perception of marijuana as a natural remedy for anxiety or depression, the evidence is mounting that today's potent products come with serious psychological risks.
Millions who turn to marijuana for relief may be unaware of its potential to cause temporary psychosis lasting hours, days, or even months. And while marijuana may not lead to physical dependence like opioids or alcohol, experts say the psychological grip can be just as damaging.
As legalization spreads and access grows, the consequences are becoming harder to ignore.
With each new study, the case against high-potency marijuana, and its role in rising mental health issues, continues to build.
In 2023, the journal Psychological Medicine published the largest epidemiological investigation to date that focused exclusively on the link between cannabis use and schizophrenia.
Researchers analyzed Danish health records from 1972 to 2021, spanning 6.9 million individuals, which revealed that 30 percent of schizophrenia cases in men aged 21 to 30 (roughly 3,000 diagnoses) could have been avoided if they had not developed cannabis use disorder.
When researchers broadened their analysis to include a wider age group (ages 16 to 49, instead of just 21 to 30), the estimated impact of cannabis use disorder on schizophrenia risk decreased to 15 percent.
Carsten Hjorthøj, the study's lead author and an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, told Scientific American: 'We found that the proportion of cases of schizophrenia that were attributable to cannabis use disorder, and those that might have been prevented, was much higher in males than females and, in particular, younger males in whom the brain is still maturing.
'And we saw that this increase was taking place over time, completely in parallel with the increasing potency of cannabis.'
The brain adapts to frequent THC exposure by dialing down its natural cannabinoid production, which helps regulate both mood and appetite.
Chronic use teaches the brain to rely on external THC instead of making its own neurotransmitters, a process called neuroadaptation.
It can take weeks or months for this balance to reset, which can trigger irritability, insomnia, or cravings. For heavy users, these withdrawal symptoms are distressing enough that some clinics prescribe medications like gabapentin to ease the transition.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
5 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tattoos can boost body positivity and even heal trauma, mental health experts say
THE great British High Street may be in decline but there's one type of shop that is still firmly making its mark – the tattoo parlour. In the past decade the number of inking businesses has soared from 1,637 to 3,394 — up 107 per cent — and 14million of us now have one, nearly a third of all adults. 5 5 5 The tattoo market was worth around £659million in 2023, rising to £702million in 2024. Experts say that although tattoos may seem unsightly to some, for those who have them, they can boost positivity, provide a sense of security, help people cope with depression and even help to heal childhood trauma. Dr Mark Griffiths, Distinguished Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University, told The Sun on Sunday: 'Most people who get tattoos experience positive benefits. 'For example, someone who is experiencing depression or anxiety may feel empowered by a tattoo, or view it as a way of demonstrating control in their life. 'Bad infections' 'A tattoo can help some individuals feel better about their body and help them feel as though they are part of a community. 'Tattoos may help promote body positivity, boost self-confidence and, for a minority, help to lower stress levels. "For a small minority, tattoos may also be a symbol for trauma survivors, for example of PTSD, sexual assault and healing from childhood trauma.' Derby-based tattooist Kevin Paul, who has inked dozens of celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and Rhianna, says that being tattooed is so 'powerful' it is like a medicine to some. He said: 'People use tattoos now as a therapy or a way to bring families closer or to mourn the loss of a loved one. "A lot of people have tattoos to mark traumatic things they have been through. I'm tattooed all over & even removed my NOSE to keep in a little jar… people can't believe the difference 4 years makes 'The majority of people I see are using it as some form of therapy. 'I had a customer with a history of self-harm and when I covered her scars she said it gave her her life back.' Prices for a tattoo start at £50 for a tiny design but can rise to well over £2,000 for a larger work covering the limbs or back — and there is no shortage of takers. The UK currently ranks as the third most-inked nation in the world, accounting for almost eight per cent of all tattoos globally and we are only out-tatted by the US and Germany. However, the trend has also led to a rise in unqualified and inexperienced would-be 'artists' cashing in. Unlicensed tattoo artists, often referred to as 'scratchers', operate outside legal regulations and do not register with their local said: 'Tattooing is being pulled apart by everyone thinking they can just have a go. 'People will go to the closest and normally cheapest place so it's much harder for real, trained artists to get customers through the door. 'There will be a lot of people needing cover-ups [of bad work] in the future. 5 5 "Hygiene should be the biggest part of your training, but I have seen so many bad infections come from dodgy tattooists who don't know what they are doing.' Research last year suggested that as many as four in ten of us had considered getting a tattoo removed. The most likely reason is going off the design, poor quality, fading work or having made an impulsive decision to begin with. And another expert warned that getting tattoos may not always combat major self-esteem issues. Aleksandra Pamphlett, a psychotherapist specialising in body image, said: 'I've had many patients describe their tattoos as part of their healing journey — daily reminders of survival, identity, hope and self-worth. 'There have been quite a few studies suggesting that body modifications can serve as a coping mechanism or form of self-expression for people with trauma histories. 'IT'S MY LIFE STORY IN PICTURES' TATTOO fan Chesney Wright, 29, has spent more than £4,000 on her 200 inkings, which she describes as her 'life in pictures'. The mum-of-three, from Grantham, Lincs, admits some are 'horrified' by her heavily inked look but she has no plans to stop. Chesney said: 'I've been told the tatts are disgusting. That I'm a bad example to other women and a bad mum. Tattoos are like Marmite, you love them or hate them – I'm obsessed with them. 'OAPs are often horrified and tell me off, but I just smile sweetly. My body art is my history.' Ex-barber Chesney has tattoos of everything from a ghost to SpongeBob. She added: 'Most women get flowers and butterflies – I have a different approach. Each tattoo holds a story of love, happiness, mother- hood, sometimes grief.' 'Most of my patients with tattoos related to past trauma found them helpful and empowering, but there was one case where the tattoo became a painful reminder — less a symbol of healing, more a flashback to a time they wanted to move past.' Anna Woolley spent years struggling with substance addiction and poor mental health, leaving her with scars on her arms that were so obvious she was ridiculed about them while shopping in Primark. It led the 35-year-old to cover them with a 'sleeve' design with butterflies and branches in 2016. The move gave her such new-found confidence she is now preparing to become a support worker in a rehab clinic to help others. She told the Sun on Sunday: 'I'd gone through a lot of past trauma and I'd caused damage to my arms from lashing out during night terrors over several years. 'I just felt horrific, I was so full of self-doubt. 'Before getting the tattoos I wouldn't have dreamed of wearing a T-shirt but now I wear what I want to. People say it's just a tattoo but it's changed my life.'


BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Canadian wildfires prompt New York air quality alert
An air quality health advisory has been issued for New York City and its surrounding areas because of smoke from wildfires in Canada. In a post on X, New York state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of Health (DOH) issued the advisory for Long Island, New York City Metro, Lower Hudson Valley, Upper Hudson Valley, and the Adirondacks on Saturday. Authorities are warning air quality in those regions is "unhealthy for sensitive groups".Wildfires in Canada have forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes, and the smoke drifting over the border has sparked air quality concerns across the northern United States. The air quality index (AQI) is predicted to be above 100 in much of New York state on Saturday, and could reach 135. Alerts are also in place for parts of New AQI measures the severity of pollution in the air and categorises health risks. The higher the number, the more unsafe the air is to breathe. This is not the first time US authorities have issued air quality alerts because of smoke from the Canadian mid-July, a similar alert was issued for Chicago, with additional precautions advised for babies and the political implications of the wildfire smoke have also reached in July, six members of Congress wrote to the Canadian ambassador complaining that smoke from wildfires was making it difficult for Americans to enjoy their are currently more than 550 active fires in Canada, with the most concentrated in the province of Manitoba, according to authorities. 6.1 million hectares (15 million acres) of land has been burnt across the country in the past and June were particularly destructive months in western Canada, with roughly 30,000 people forced to evacuate in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where local administrations declared a state of have consistently linked the intensifying wildfire seasons to climate is believed to be warming at twice the global average rate, and its Arctic regions are heating up at nearly three times the global rate, scientists have warned.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
RFK Jr. looks to boot panel that decided which HIV and cancer screenings would be free: report
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly planning to remove all the members of an influential health task force that helps determine what preventative care services insurers must cover for free, after removing all members of a vaccine advisory board last month. Kennedy wants to clean house at U.S. Preventative Services Task Force next because he believes its 16 members have become too 'woke,' The Wall Street Journal reports. Under 2010's Affordable Care Act, the task force makes evidence-based, public recommendations on a variety of treatments, ranging HIV prevention to prenatal care to mental health, that insurers must cover at no cost to patients. Health and Human Services has said the secretary hasn't made a final decision regarding the task force. The Independent has contacted the agency for comment. Kennedy's reported dissatisfaction with the group comes after the American Conservative magazine accused the task force of being a 'festering corner of woke bureaucracy' in an article earlier this month. 'The task force is packed with Biden administration appointees devoted to the ideological capture of medicine,' the author argued, pointing to 'sinister' recent task force actions committing to removing racial inequities in health care and using more inclusive language around gender. Earlier this month, a July meeting of the task force was postponed. At the time, a letter from over 100 health organizations warned about the politicization of the task force's work. 'The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost effective care,' the letter reads. 'When something works well and helps inform doctors about how to take care of their patients, to postpone the task force's work just doesn't make any sense,' Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, told The New York Times after the meeting was postponed. 'This flies in the face of what is good for the country's health.' In June, the Supreme Court upheld the task force's ability to recommend free coverage for preventative services, in the face of a challenge from individuals and businesses objecting to the body's recommendation regarding HIV prevention medication. Concern over the fate of the task force comes after Kennedy removed all the members of a vaccine advisory board, replacing them with some members who share the secretary's vaccine skepticism.