According to the National Institute of Health, there is now reasonable evidence from longitudinal studies that regular cannabis use predicts an increased risk of schizophrenia and of reporting psychotic symptoms in teens.
Teens have access to vastly more potent cannabis than their parents had at their age. Parents need to understand the risks, including psychosis.
Carrie Bearden is a professor of psychiatry, biobehavioral sciences and psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She directs a clinical research program focused on early intervention for psychosis spectrum disorders in young people. She discusses her recent article in Scientific American, "The Link between Cannabis and Psychosis in Teens Is Real."
