#75 Strong Clinical Relevance
High-quality evidence with meaningful patient or clinical significance.
If you are a parent, caregiver, or young adult considering cannabis, this study reinforces that adolescent brain development is a critical window where unsupervised use may carry serious long-term psychiatric risks that do not necessarily apply to adult medical patients under clinical guidance.
A new longitudinal study links adolescent cannabis use to increased risk of later bipolar and psychotic disorder diagnoses, adding to a growing body of evidence that the developing brain is uniquely vulnerable to cannabinoid exposure. While this research does not apply directly to adult medical cannabis patients, it reinforces what clinicians in cannabis medicine have long emphasized: age of onset matters enormously, and adolescent use carries a fundamentally different risk profile than supervised adult medical use. These findings should inform both clinical screening practices and public health messaging around cannabis access.
“This is exactly why I screen every patient for age of first use and family psychiatric history, because the adolescent brain and the adult brain are not having the same conversation with cannabis.”
🦴 A new longitudinal study reinforces what cannabis clinicians should already be practicing: adolescent cannabis exposure carries distinct psychiatric risks that do not map neatly onto adult medical use. The data shows increased rates of bipolar and psychotic disorder diagnoses in individuals who used cannabis during adolescence, consistent with prior research on THC and the developing endocannabinoid system. ️ In my clinic, every intake includes screening for age of first use, family history of psychosis or mood disorders, and early adverse experiences, because context determines risk. These findings are not an indictment of medical cannabis but a reminder that dose, age, and clinical oversight are the variables that separate medicine from harm. We need to be honest about this data while resisting the urge to paint all cannabis use with the same brush.
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