The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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    Effect of an urban environment on cannabis psychosis risk

    Cannabis is considered a cause of psychotic illness, interacting with genetic and other environmental risk factors.

    Researchers at Maastricht University Medical Center, in The Netherlands, investigated whether an urban environment contributes to the effects of adolescent cannabis use on psychosis risk.

    First, the details.

    • 1923, 14 to 24 years of age citizens of Munich were studied.
    • Urbanicity was assessed at the start of the study and defined as living in the city of Munich or in the rural surroundings.
    • Cannabis use and psychotic symptoms were assessed 3 times over a 10-year follow-up period.

    And, the results.

    • The effect of cannabis use on psychotic symptoms was much stronger in individuals who grew up in an urban environment.
    • There appeared to be a synergistic effect.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded, “Exposure to environmental influences associated with urban upbringing may increase vulnerability to the psychotomimetic effects of cannabis use later in life.”

    More on cannabis and psychosis be the same researchers is here.

    2/20/12 19:31 JR

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