Marijuana: Not So Mellow

By Sara Templeton

The common perception that marijuana or cannabis users are chilled out cats, mellow and relaxed, peaceful types has been debunked.

Revent evidence shows that many grass smokers are bordering on the psychotic.

Pot smokers, or "Stoners" as they are sometimes called, are traditionally seen as beach bums or dozey types who are doing everyone a favour by staying indoors and watching Spongebob Squarepants reruns instead of getting drunk and starting fights at night clubs or pubs.

However, recent evidence collected by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre - based at the University of NSW - shows that an increasing number of people who presented at Sydney emergency departments after smoking cannabis tended to be violent.

Up to half of these people had mental health issues, which are believed to be exacerbated by marijuana.

The data collated by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre showed that about a quarter of males and around a third of female patients arriving at emergency wards under the influence of marijuana were violent toward hospital staff or hurt themselves by acting aggressively. 

Of more worry was that one in 10 were deemed suicide risks.

"It flies in the face of what people typically think of cannabis - that it is a natural herb that makes people mellow," Professor Jan Copeland of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre told The Age newspaper.

"The reality is that it can make people highly agitated and trigger acute episodes of anxiety.

"It's the first time we have ever gathered this data and it is highly surprising. It's apparent that we need a higher level of early intervention to pick up these problems before they get to the emergency department," Professor Copeland said.

Though the study only covered two Sydney hospitals, the results were collated over two years.

Other medical professionals said that modern-day marijuana was up to 10 times more potent that the cannabis that was smoked by baby boomers in the '60s and '70s.

"The grass we smoked in the '60s could have been lawn clippings compared to this completely different breed of nasty cat," said Gordian Fulde, the head of emergency at St Vincent's hospital.

Marijuana that is grown indoors, hydroponically, and fed a cocktail of chemical fertilisers - the majority of the cannabis believed to be sold nowadays - can trigger various conditions such as severe paranoia and psychosis in some users with a history of mental illness.

The idea that all cannabis smokers are mellowed out hippies is proving to be an outmoded perception according to this recent study.

Links:
Cannabis (wikipedia)
Reach Out.com.au (cannabis)
Cannabis Info For Health Care Workers