Cannabis, what health risks?

In a collective expertise, entitled "cannabis, what effects on the behavior and health?" the authors mention "the demonstration of an association between cannabis use and a negative effect on health, which does not imply a causal inference and does not say if this use before the health problem." The experts have made the link between cannabis abuse and schizophrenia.

The authors recommend targeting campaigns and prevention of health risks in the immediate or longer term.

The main short-term effects are reversible alteration of certain psychomotor and cognitive performance, such as drowsiness, memory problems and the inability to perform certain multiple tasks. When the decision is more important, language disorders or motor coordination as well as dysphoria may occur. Changes sometimes last until 24 hours.

Moreover, acute psychiatric complications such as panic or depersonalization syndrome have been observed in some subjects. Exceptionally, cases of cannabis psychosis (delusions stylebouffées, but with more hétéroagressif behavior disorders, visual hallucinations, depersonalization) have been described in adults, the use of cannabis had increased recently.

In the longer term, repeated use (cannabis more than 10 times a year) increases the risk of addiction, some studies have even reported a phenomenon of tolerance and withdrawal syndrome in chronic low-level consumers. Among the effects described, the authors cite the occurrence of lung cancer or head and neck cancer, regardless of smoking.

Moreover, the link between cannabis and schizophrenia, suggested by a survey conducted in France, has since been confirmed by other international studies. This association could be the expression of a common vulnerability to genetic or environmental, say the authors, who recommend to study the possible interactions between cannabis, the endocannabinoid system and schizophrenia.