Study: Cannabis Can Help Treat Schizophrenia, Offering “a Fresh Start and Newfound Hope”
According to a new study published by the open access journal Medicines, and published online by the National Institute of Health, cannabis “can be used as a treatment for schizophrenia… offering a fresh start and newfound hope”.
According to the study’s abstract, “Approximately 0.5% of the population is diagnosed with some form of schizophrenia, under the prevailing view that the pathology is best treated using pharmaceutical medications that act on monoamine receptors.” For the study, researchers reviewed “evidence on the impact of environmental forces, particularly the effect of autoimmune activity, in the expression of schizophrenic profiles and the role of Cannabis therapy for regulating immunological functioning.”
“A review of the literature shows that phytocannabinoid consumption may be a safe and effective treatment option for schizophrenia as a primary or adjunctive therapy”, states the study. “Emerging research suggests that Cannabis can be used as a treatment for schizophrenia within a broader etiological perspective that focuses on environmental, autoimmune, and neuroinflammatory causes of the disorder, offering a fresh start and newfound hope for those suffering from this debilitating and poorly understood disease.”
The study was conducted at the University of New Mexico, with researchers from both the Department of Psychology and the Department of Economics.
The full study can be found by clicking here.
Doug
The many medical benefits of marijuana just keep growing. People need to know the health benefits it has on mental illness. Thank you for a very informative article.