14 DAY TRIAL // Cannabis has been around for millennia - indeed, as archaeologists have proved, the miracle of cannabis smoke has been puzzling our ancestors ever since the Neolithic age, which means that yes, once humans have found something they really enjoy, it's unlikely they're going to give it up without a fight. Today, cannabis is seen as a drug and its cultivation, possession or transfer are punishable by law in the vast majority of countries around the world.
While the medicinal use of cannabis for pain relief has its vocal supporters, there are still countries around the world where cannabis possession is punishable by life in prison or even execution. For those of you who still feel that cannabis is a light drug that's unlikely to have any long-term effects if used moderately, here's a not-so-good piece of news: a recent study conducted in Finland has proved that the earlier we start smoking cannabis, the more exposed we are to developing psychotic symptoms that can evolve into severe mental illness later in life.
In the largest study of this kind, Finnish experts from the University of Oulu interviewed over 6,000 youngsters with ages between 15 and 16 and found that those who had used cannabis more than once had a higher average number of symptoms indicating a risk of psychosis. The most prominent three such symptoms experienced by teenagers were found to be an unexplained feeling that they were being followed, difficulty in controlling the speed of their thoughts and an equally unexplained feeling that something strange was going on around them. Of course, frequent drug users run a much higher such risk, but even one-time drug users were proven to be extremely vulnerable to developing psychosis.
"These teenagers are likely to be vulnerable to the mental effects, which means they are probably vulnerable to developing psychosis at some point", stated doctor Jouko Miettunen, who led the Finnish research team. This latest evidence comes to support the point of view that cannabis is by no means a "safe" drug, as many teenagers believe. As a result, they should regard even one-time smoking as dangerous and be aware that the harmless pot is putting them at a very high risk.