Why can pot make you paranoid

[Jazzy]

British researchers say they've identified several psychological factors that can contribute to short-term paranoia in some people who use marijuana.

The paranoia is caused by the main active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), according to the researchers.

"The study very convincingly shows that cannabis [marijuana] can cause short-term paranoia in some people," study leader Daniel Freeman, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford in England, said in a university news release.

"But more importantly it shines a light on the way our mind encourages paranoia. Paranoia is likely to occur when we are worried, think negatively about ourselves, and experience unsettling changes in our perceptions," he added.

The study included 121 volunteers, ages 21 to 50, who had used marijuana at least once before. Two-thirds of them were injected with THC and the other third received a placebo. The dose of THC was equivalent to one strong joint.

After the injections, half of those who received THC had paranoid thoughts, compared with 30 percent of those who received the placebo. The researchers concluded that THC was directly responsible for increased paranoia in one in five of those who received the drug. Paranoia declined as THC left the bloodstream.

Full article

Have any of you felt paranoid after smoking marijuana?

 

[Nebulous]

Being under the influence of anything and not being in your right mind can cause paranoia.

 

[Rebel]

Never experienced that sign or symptom when I smoked. That was almost a decade ago though.