WHY IT MATTERS: Teenagers and parents should know that cannabis use during adolescence is not simply a lifestyle choice but a neurological exposure that may meaningfully increase the risk of serious, lifelong psychiatric conditions. CLINICAL OVERVIEW: Adolescent cannabis use carries meaningful psychiatric risk, particularly for conditions like psychosis and bipolar disorder, during a developmental window when the brain is especially vulnerable to THC’s effects on dopaminergic and endocannabinoid signaling. The association between early cannabis exposure and a doubling of risk for these disorders reflects both biological susceptibility and the potency of today’s high-THC products compared to earlier decades.
Adolescent Cannabis Use and Psychosis Risk: What This Cohort Study Shows and What It Does Not
A clinician-guided review of a large cohort study examining adolescent past-year cannabis use and subsequent psychiatric diagnoses, including psychosis and bipolar disorder. This article explains what the study measures, what it does not measure, and why causality cannot be assumed despite meaningful association signals.