Marijuana and Madness

Описание

to represent the period most susceptible toward possible
lasting negative cannabinoid ef ects. Solowij and Pesa
review the evidence suggesting long term ef ects of cannabis on brain structure and neuropsychological function in humans. Skosnik proposes the cerebellum as a
point of convergence through which alterations in the
cannabinoid system may mediate processes involved in
the generation of psychosis.
One of the vexing clinical conundrums is the discrepancy between the “benei ts” of cannabis reported
by users, and the negative consequences on the course
and expression of schizophrenia observed by clinicians. Henquet et al . review the acute ef ects of cannabis and cannabinoids in people with psychotic illness,
whereas Di Forti et al . explore genetic factors that may
moderate the psychomometic ef ects of cannabis and
Bhattacharyya and McGuire address the ef ects of
cannabis on learning and psychosis. Turning to other
psychiatric disorders, Silberberg et al . review the literature on cannabis and bipolar disorder, and Degenhardt
et al . do likewise for depression.
h e rest of the book concentrates on the impact of
cannabis on schizophrenia, with a review of the evidence as to whether cannabis might be a causal factor
in schizophrenia (Zammit et al .), studies of the cannabinoid system in schizophrenia (Sundram et al .,
and Morrison), and of the impact of cannabis on the
course of schizophrenia (Linszen et al .). h e concluding chapters address the motives that maintain cannabis use among people with schizophrenia (Hides et al .)
and treatment interventions for cannabis use in schizophrenia (James and Castle).
As editors, we are excited at the richness of the
material provided to us by the contributors, all leaders in their i eld. We hope that readers will be likewise
impressed at the progress that has been made in our
understanding of the relationship between marijuana
and madness.
Preface
Since the i rst edition of Marijuana and Madness in
2004, interest in the topic has continued to grow. For
example, in the seven years since the i rst edition in
2004, almost as many papers have been published on
this topic (400) as in the time period between 1962 and
2004 (462). h is interest has been driven by a number
of factors, including advances in our understanding
of the brain cannabinoid system, and recognition that
cannabinoids other than Δ 9
-tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) may be important. h e second edition of this
book provides an opportunity to update the core chapters and to add several entirely new chapters that focus
on these advances.
h e book begins with an overview by Iversen on
how cannabis works in the brain, followed by reviews
of cannabioids other than THC (Mechoulam et al .)
and of the cannabionoid system (Cascio and Pertwee).
ElSohly and colleagues consider the evidence as to
whether cannabis is increasing in potency, an important
issue that has ot en been obscured by the debate about
the legal status of cannabis. h en Hall and Degenhardt
discuss the implications of the negative ef ects of cannabis on mental health services, health education and
public policy.
h ese chapters set the scene for a detailed discussion of the most pressing issues in the i eld of cannabis
and psychiatric disorders.
If exposure to cannabis being associated with negative health consequences is to have biological plausibility, there needs to be a biological mechanism/s to explain
the association. Galve-Roperh reviews the evidence that
the endocannabinoid system constitutes a novel extracellular signaling system involved in the regulation of
nervous system formation, and the possible ef ects of
perturbation of this system at crucial periods of brain
development. Schneider presents the animal research
showing that pubertal development, during which the
endocannabinoid system appears to be very active, seems

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