Dear Felix Vikhman,

I appreciate the work you do as a psychotherapist although I have to disagree on your article titled the ‘Wake and Bake’ that was first published on April 20, 2017. I personally cannot wrap my head around the fact that smoking too much weed can lead to having a marijuana induced psychosis when I know many people in my life who have been smoking marijuana for 20 plus years with no negative effects whatsoever. I am not denying the fact that it can happen; that may be true, but there may be more to the actual individual that goes beyond smoking a joint.

Marijuana is also widely known to be medicinal in its many forms with a lot of research behind that. In your article you state that it can lead to a psychosis, many more believe that it has actually helped them to alleviate anxiety, relieved them of chronic pain, helped with depression, ADHD/ADD, PTSD and many other things. For these people it has not proved to lead to any type of psychosis but rather has been very beneficial. The topic of marijuana and its effects will always have many sides to it based on each individual. Like alcohol, there is a limit to how much a person can tolerate, in this case how much tetrahydrocannabinol can be tolerated.

Can marijuana lead to schizophrenia? In your article you used ‘Peter’ as an example of that being true after he became aggressive and out of control towards his parents. I can agree that this is an issue. I personally think that the issue should remain case by case because what happens if the hundreds of thousands of people who currently, smoke, vape, dap or use THC oils due to their medical needs become worried that by using, they too can develop a marijuana induced psychosis and stop using it. Where would these individuals turn to for help? What would be the result of them not taking their dose of THC?

The topic of THC, its effects and whether there is a growing amount of people who are experiencing a marijuana induced psychosis is very controversial. I know that just because I haven’t seen it does not mean it has not happened. I also know from research that many people who do use marijuana have benefited greatly from its use. With more Canadians using marijuana now than ever before there will be a lot more studies and research to come. This is a growing conversation that more people are comfortable having which will eventually lead to more research and development. We, as Canadians still have a lot to learn about marijuana and what exactly its effects can be.

Comment on the discussion post below using critical thinking.