Medical cannabinoids as a treatment for mental health: helpful or hazardous?

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Systematic review of 54 RCTs found limited evidence for cannabinoids treating mental health conditions. Most robust findings for cannabis use disorder, but overall quality low.

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Synthetic cannabinoids found in 13% of school vapes tested

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13% of vapes confiscated from English schools contained synthetic cannabinoids mis-sold as THC. Refillable vapes and social media platforms enable this dangerous trend.

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Coercive control and intimidation: stronger links to adult mental health than physical violence

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Non-physical domestic violence (intimidation, control, property damage) in childhood showed stronger associations with adult mental health disorders than physical violence in large Australian study.

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Do hobbies protect against adolescent substance misuse? Not so fast…

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A new study claims hobbies reduce substance misuse in adolescents, but are we mistaking correlation for causation? Before we start fiddling with interventions, this blog explores the risks of jumping to conclusions.

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Spotting the storm before it breaks: mapping the prodrome of severe mental illness

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People with severe mental illness often face years of poor health before diagnosis. A new study uses machine learning and clinical notes to map the early warning networks of symptoms that could help us intervene earlier.

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Teen drug use today, mental health struggles tomorrow? What the evidence says

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Ian Hamilton unpacks a new study revealing how teenage substance use can pave the way to serious mental health struggles later in life. A clear warning: early use today could mean bigger problems tomorrow.

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Cannabis, psychosis and the structural realities for ethnic minorities

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KCL MSc student Geetika Sharma reviews a study that looks at the contribution of cannabis use to the increased psychosis risk among minority ethnic groups in Europe.

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Cannabis legalisation: what can we learn about psychosis risk from the great Canadian (quasi) experiment?

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What happens to psychosis risk when cannabis becomes easier to access? According to this Canadian study, the risk goes up. Shuichi Suetani explores what we can learn from one of the countries leading the way in drug policy reform.

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Cannabis use disorder associated with increased risk of both psychotic and nonpsychotic unipolar depression and bipolar disorder

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Jack Wilson critiques a recent Danish longitudinal study published in JAMA Psychiatry, which suggests that cannabis use disorder is independently associated with bipolar disorder and unipolar depression.

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Cannabis use and its legalisation: analysing chronic pain in US veterans using electronic health records

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In their debut blog, Grace Williamson and Daniel Leightley review a US study on chronic pain, cannabis legalisation, and cannabis use disorder in US veterans.

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