Cannabis isn’t ‘safer’ in your 20s and 30s – it’s linked to an earlier onset of psychosis

bymuratdeniz/Getty Images People who use cannabis in their 20s and 30s are developing psychosis years earlier than non-users, according to our new study , published today in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

This challenges the idea that delaying cannabis use until your mid-20s – when people believe their brain has finished developing – is a safer option to avoid the risks of psychosis.

Our research found that for people who were susceptible to psychosis, cannabis use in their 30s was associated with an earlier onset of psychosis by 6.3 years.

Cannabis use is becoming increasingly common.

More than 2.5 million Australians use prescribed or illicit cannabis each year .

It’s also increasing in potency.

But for many users, the psychiatric harms of cannabis are likely to outweigh any medical benefit.

In fact, there is little evidence it’s effective for anxiety, depression or insomnia .

What is psychosis? Psychosis is a spectrum of disorders, characterised by reality distortion.

At the core of psychosis is the more severe and chronic form, schizophrenia.

A person with psychosis may experience confusion, mood swings and hallucinations – seeing or hearing something or someone who isn’t there.

They may have false beliefs and might not make sense to others while speaking.

Psychosis affects around 0.5% of Australians of Australians.

There is a strong genetic component to schizophrenia and psychosis.