Topic - Pot-smoking teens and psychosis
Teens have only positive thoughts about pot. It feels good; it’s cheaper; you don’t look drunk, unlike alcohol; don’t have to show an ID to get it and most kids don’t have to consume a lot to get high. Emergency rooms are treating many teens whose pot smoking has triggered psychosis. Pot feels good because it turns on the brain’s reward system. If it feels good, do it. If it feels really good, do it more. That’s where the trouble comes in. Heavy users, smoking several times a day, can have psychotic experiences in which they see, hear and feel things differently. Thoughts might be bizarre and unusual. Feelings of persecution are common. If you start out with a little pot every now and then, likely no problem. If you shift into heavy use, it can cause psychotic episodes that leave you feeling detached from reality and depressed with frantic, uncontrollable behavior. Is it worth it? Probably not.
