Cannabis can definitely create dependence or be habit-forming, but the debate you might have heard is about this being classified as an “addiction” or not.

This is because in some cases, psychological dependence (things like cravings, anxiety or depression when you haven’t used a day or two) but not physical dependence will occur, so some might not see this experience as full-blown addiction.  However, in some cases there may be physical signs of withdrawal such as abdominal pain, shakiness and headaches. These are less common.

Cannabis dependence may also seem much less extreme than addiction to other drugs.

However, no matter how you call it, cannabis use can definitely be addictive and lead to cannabis use disorder in approximately 1 in 10 users. Considering that about 15% of Canadians over 15 (or 4.4 million people) are past-year cannabis consumers, this amounts to 440,00 people. Younger age of initiating cannabis use and use of high THC (also known as high potency) cannabis increases the risk. This proportion is less than some other drugs like alcohol or tobacco, but is definitely still considerable, especially when those risk factors get piled on.

People who are dependent on cannabis will generally experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using, such as anxiety, a strong sense of uneasiness, sleep disturbances, irritability, loss of appetite and in some cases, aggressive behaviour.

Unfortunately, we do not currently have effective treatments for cannabis use disorders. Addiction to any drug is a tricky situation to deal with – in part because of the heavy stigma associated with it. However, getting informed (by reading this answer, for example!) is a great first step in demystifying addiction.

If you want to take a closer look at some indicators of problematic cannabis use (which can, in some cases, happen before addiction or dependence), you can  read more about the subject here or check out our resources section.

It’s a possibility, but not necessarily. 

Let’s start with some quick definitions just to make sure we’re on the same page:

Psychosis: a break with reality characterized by hallucinations, false beliefs (delusions), impaired thinking and lack of motivation.

Substance-induced psychosis: The use of drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine, LSD, amphetamines and alcohol can sometimes cause psychotic symptoms to appear. In substance-induced psychosis, once the effects of the drugs wear off, the symptoms of psychosis can spontaneously resolve or may require medical treatment. Both the duration (how long symptoms last) and the intensity  (severity) of psychosis symptoms are considered by experts when considering a possible diagnosis of substance-induced psychosis.

Schizophrenia: According to the Canadian Mental Health Association: “Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects the way you understand and interact with the world around you.

When an episode occurs, people may feel that things around them seem different or strange. They may start to experience problems concentrating, thinking or communicating clearly, or taking part in their usual activities.

At the height of the episode, people may experience breaks from reality called psychosis. These could be hallucinations (sensations, like voices, that aren’t real) and delusions (strong beliefs that aren’t true, like the belief that they have superpowers). Some people feel ‘flat’ or numb. They may also experience changes in mood, motivation, and the ability to complete tasks. After an episode, signs can continue for some time. People may feel restless, irritable, withdraw from others, or have a hard time concentrating.”

So, schizophrenia can be described as a type of psychosis that is often longer lasting. However, there are several types of psychosis. Some are brief and last just hours or days, while some may last months or years. Importantly, experiencing an episode of psychosis doesn’t necessarily mean it will become ongoing, partly because there are a variety of things that can cause psychosis that aren’t schizophrenia.

Some drugs (including cannabis) may induce psychosis, certain other mental health illnesses, such as Bipolar Disorder, as well, and even other things like extreme stress, sleep deprivation, or trauma.

If you’re still curious and/or worried, this page goes into a bit more detail and might be helpful. The bottom line is that, although you might be feeling scared or worried, one way or the other, there are many supports available to you.

We have put together some of them here to give you a place to start, and you can always contact us if you want to reach out and we’ll be happy to connect via email, although for immediate support we do recommend you contact your nearest support line here.

This is a great place to start, but we’re warning you – there is a lot to know even just about the basics!

A good resource to get you started is the Canadian Public Health Association’s Cannabasics document, which covers products and ingredients, methods of consumption, some reasons people may use cannabis, and some ways to reduce its potential harms. We’ve also discussed the reasons for use in more detail here, as well as some ways to reduce harms here.

You may also have heard about different cannabis “strains” (fun fact, there is now a movement to more accurately describe varieties of cannabis as “cultivars” or “chemovars” as these descriptors of plants and chemical combinations, respectively, are more appropriate to use for cannabis than “strain” which is used for viruses and bacteria). Although there is a lot of information out there about the different properties of the two main strains, Sativa vs. Indica, scientifically (and legally), there is no difference between these two types of cannabis plants. All cannabis plants are now considered to be Cannabis Sativa L.

They were originally different strains of cannabis that came from different regions of the world. However, due to years of interbreeding, cannabis species have cross-pollinated, and studies have shown that there is no longer a difference in plant genetics between plants labeled Indica versus plants labeled Sativa.  Interbred plants are sometimes referred to as ‘hybrids’, but effectively most of what’s out there is now a hybrid. The existence of different species of cannabis and how many there are is currently under dispute.

What to look for to get a better idea of what’s in cannabis: Two key compounds called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). There are many more important characteristics and differences between different types of cannabis, especially when it comes to THC and CBD content. THC is the compound that is mostly responsible for the “high” feeling (in more scientific terms, it has a greater psychoactive and intoxicant effect), while CBD does not have an intoxicant effect and contributes to the “chill” feeling. CBD is responsible for several medical benefits of cannabis (although THC also has its merit in the medical cannabis world).

High THC strains are also usually low in CBD. In previous decades there was more of a balance between the ratio of THC to CBD, but nowadays, cannabis tends to be higher in THC, so finding a high CBD variety can be a bit more difficult, although it might have some payoffs for your health.

Yes – there are factors that will make one person more likely than another to experience psychosis that is linked to their cannabis use.

Some of these factors are specific to you as a person, and others depend on how you use cannabis, which makes the latter easier to control if you do choose to use.

Some things that are out of your control but are still important to consider are childhood trauma and abuse, sometimes referred to as “adverse childhood experiences”.Having a personal history of childhood abuse or trauma (for example, sexual, physical or neglect) is a  strong risk factor for developing problematic substance use and mental illness later in life. Additionally, young people growing up with close family members with problematic substance use and mental illness may be at increased risk for developing addiction or mental illness compared to peers who do not share this vulnerability. Although it is important for you to understand your own vulnerability, it is also important to note that youth who have experienced abuse and trauma can recover and heal with the right support and treatment.

Another thing that’s impossible to control, but could have a dramatic influence on your risk for psychosis related to your cannabis use is having a family history of psychosis or schizophrenia. You can check this by asking a trusted biological family member (since the research shows that it’s really the genetic component that matters, more than the social one). However, sometimes, the family may keep past histories secret through embarrassment, shame or fear of stigma or even have no awareness of details.

Schizophrenia and psychosis are both pretty medical terms, so you may also want to check for things like a “mental breakdown” or a “break with reality”. If this happened, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was psychosis or schizophrenia, but it can help give you an idea of potential instances. Note that schizophrenia does not mean “split personality” – this is a common misconception.

If you have a family history of psychosis or schizophrenia, what’s for sure is that it is safest not to use cannabis. This is particularly true the closer or more direct the link, such as a parent, sibling and highest in an identical twin. But we’re not here to tell you what to do, so here are some ways to try to reduce your risk of psychosis if you still choose to use cannabis:

Try to delay starting to use at least until you’re 17 or 18 (if you’re older and haven’t started using yet but want to, 25 is an even safer age to wait for). The reason for this is that the brain continues to mature till about 25 and is therefore more vulnerable to stress and the use of cannabis.  Studies have also found that starting to use before 15 or 16 years (depending on the study) has been linked to higher risks of psychosis.

If you’ve already started using and delaying use isn’t an option, there are still ways you can try to reduce your risk:

• Consider reducing how often you use, since it’s heavy use in particular that’s linked to psychosis. Reducing will depend on where you’re at: if you’re smoking 3 joints a day, skipping the middle one will already mean 7 fewer joints a week. If you’re consuming a very potent edible every day, maybe you’ll want to start alternating between a full dose and a half dose, which is already a 20-30% reduction in overall quantity used, depending on if you do 3 or 4 days with a half dose.  If you do use quite frequently, using less often can also have some additional benefits like your tolerance going down (so it’s less expensive to get high) and you enjoying each time more because it’s more special and less of a routine thing.
• Consider switching to a lower THC and higher CBD cannabis. If you’re not really sure what THC is, we talk about it more here. If your cannabis comes from a legal source, you’ll be able to see the THC and CBD content on the package. If it comes from the illicit market, this information might be harder to get, but it can be a good idea to ask whoever supplied you with the cannabis. Talking about THC and CBD is more and more common, and actually, more and more people are looking for high CBD strains, so the supplier might know. Decreasing the amount of THC content in cannabis usually goes hand in hand with having higher CBD content, which can be protective of the risks that THC poses for psychosis.  Like reducing your frequency of use, reducing your THC content can actually be enjoyable – you might experience a different kind of high or be able to be more active during your session. If you don’t know about the THC content in your cannabis, you can always consume less per session in order to be ingesting less THC overall.

These are all things that will make someone more or less likely to experience psychosis that is linked to their cannabis use, and ways to try to mitigate that risk if you’re wondering about your own use. The thought of developing psychosis can be quite worrisome, and if you’re concerned, we talk about this a bit more here.

We’ll start by giving you the answer you’re probably expecting: it depends. 

Cannabis can present with so many opposite effects and this can be confusing.  This depends on so many factors within our bodies and the types of cannabis. It can make us relaxed or cause anxiety, improve or impair sleep, reduce nausea or cause vomiting, increased appetite or make us go off food… a sort of “yin and yang”. Getting the desired effect without any negative effects takes a lot of very careful consideration.

Let’s start by checking out the links between different groups of mental health symptoms. Much of the research until now has examined internalizing symptoms (for mental health issues that are difficult to see from the outside, and are experienced in a very inward way, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and externalizing symptoms (issues that are more apparent to other people, such as conduct or opposition problems, and sometimes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is included here as well).

If we look at the general pattern between cannabis use and mental health issues, we see that overall, people who use cannabis are more likely to also experience difficulties with their mental health. The question then becomes “which one came first?”.

Externalizing systems are generally a predictor of later cannabis use. This doesn’t necessarily mean that because someone is very resistant to authority or rules, that in itself might make them go smoke a bunch of weed. There can be a lot of other important factors like the people they hang out with, their relationships with their family and teachers, and their performance at school. On the other hand, while some internalizing symptoms like depressive symptoms sometimes predict later cannabis use, there is more evidence for cannabis use predicting later internalizing symptoms, again particularly for depression, as well as psychosis. If you’re looking to learn more about psychosis specifically, we’ve covered risk factors (who’s more likely to develop psychosis linked to their cannabis use), harm reduction methods particularly for psychosis and cannabis, and recognizing the difference between a bad trip and an episode of psychosis.

Now, you might be wondering about the short-term effects, and what’s the deal with cannabis and anxiety? For now, not much is known for sure about short-term effects of cannabis on mental health, but there are some links between cannabis use and a reduction in certain types of memory during the next few days, and this could be frustrating to experience. Some people also feel less motivated, although this is still questionable as a research finding. If you’re feeling like your cannabis use might be affecting your mental health (in a positive or negative way), one thing you can do is keep a journal of how you feel every day, while noting the times when you’re using weed. Don’t forget to note details of your sleep, appetite, mood, social interaction and use of other things like alcohol in your journal. An added benefit is that some people find that this practice – keeping a journal – in itself helps them with their mental health!