Pot's Dark Side: Delusions, Psychotic Symptoms

[ghostsinthemachine]

Smoking marijuana can lead to more than a euphoric high, and has been linked to long-lasting delusions, mouth swelling and several other surprising effects, according to a new review of research on the recreational use of the drug.

"All recreational users should be aware of potential undesired acute cannabinoid effects," or the effects of being high on pot, study author Dr. Eva Hoch, of the department of addictive behavior and addiction medicine at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, told Live Science. The type and severity of these effects depend on many factors, such as the composition of the cannabis, how often someone uses marijuana, the user's disposition and how much they smoke, Hoch said.

Recreational marijuana use has been legalized in several U.S. states, but researchers are still learning about the effects the drug has on a person's mind and body.

To find out, Hoch and colleagues reviewed 116 previous studies that had focused on recreational use of marijuana, not medical marijuana use. The researchers "were surprised by the variety of potential mental and physical health effects reported in the literature," Hoch said.

For instance, from the review, they identified 12 signs of "acute intoxication" or being high on marijuana, which doctors could use to identify when someone is high. These included feeling anxious or agitated, having a slow reaction time or trouble paying attention, feeling euphoric and disinhibited, having an altered sense of time, having limited judgment abilities, experiencing acoustic, optic or tactile illusions, experiencing feelings of being separate from your body or from reality, exhibiting impaired overall physical and mental performance, experiencing hallucinations or paranoid delusions.

READ MORE: http://news.yahoo.com/pots-dark-side-delusions-psychotic-symptoms-144859094.html

Funny but I know a big ass load of stoners, in fact almost everyone I know, get to know or want to know are stoners. I know no one with these symptoms.