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In 1995, the concentration of THC in cannabis samples seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration was approximately 4%. In 2021 it was around 15%. And now cannabis producers are extracting THC to produce oils, edibles, wax, sugar-sized crystals, and glass-like products called shatter with THC levels that can exceed 95%.
Over the past decade, research has shown that frequent cannabis use – and particularly the use of high-potency products with THC levels above 10% – is a risk factor for the onset of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
“But that’s not to say that less frequent use — monthly or yearly — is necessarily safe,” said Dr. Michael Murphy, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a psychiatrist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.
“As we see higher rates of cannabis use among young people, I expect to see higher rates of psychotic disorders,” he said.
The risks of developing psychotic symptoms are greatest for those who use cannabis before age 25, people who use it frequently, those with a genetic predisposition (for example, a parent or sibling with a psychotic disorder), or individuals who have experienced stressful events such as abuse, poverty or abandonment during childhood.
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