- Katlight Sparkle:
- Source? Like if you have one handy. I've never heard this before, and I'd like to read more but don't feel like shifting through eighty thousand propaganda links I'm sure to find.
This explains very well the implications of the fact that people with schizophrenia are more likely to be drug users than the general population, why it's complicated to establish a direct neurochemical link between marijuana use and mental illness, but also why it's important to take into consideration the obvious link that exists between the two when treating schizophrenia.
I've linked you to that because it's so well laid / not too jargon-ful, but there have been many studies on the correlation between mental illness and drug use, marijuana included, because, as that article says, mental illness sufferers are a lot more likely to have drug abuse problems.
This one, for example, says that marijuana use is correlated with higher incidence of anxiety and depression later on. You can look up more on google scholar, e.g., but it's hard to find academic studies not hidden under pay walls (which is an entirely different issue...), I've found a lot of good articles on the subject on Cambridge Books Online, e.g.
this whole book, but I don't think the links would work for you.
I think mental illness sufferers should have full control over their treatment, of course, but, personally, I view medication as the last possible option when there's absolutely nothing else to try, because the way they work on the brain is still so poorly understood and there are huge risks involved with side effects. If taking drugs which alter your brain chemistry whose composition is standardized, under the supervision of medical staff in fixed doses is dangerous, taking drugs which alter your brain chemistry whose composition is not standardized, in irregular / unmeasured doses, with no medical supervision and no tests to have as guidance in case something goes wrong seems extremely dangerous. I also think a less diagnosing and more holistic and functionality oriented approach to mental illness treatment is the way forward so developing an addiction (whether to marijuana, alcohol or anything else) seems like a very bad idea if you're at risk of developing a mental disorder or already have one because it increases your chances, for example, of slipping into poverty and, even, becoming homeless while also being a very socially isolating behaviour - both of which are a major trigger / contributing factors for mental illness.
fuck my life, man. 
