Insane in the membrane
Smoking marijuana as a teenager can increase your risk of developing permanent psychotic symptoms, like delusions and paranoia, by six per cent compared to non-smokers. But, if you belong to the 10 per cent of all people who are predisposed to develop psychosis (for example if schizophrenia runs in your family), your risk is even greater. If you smoked cannabis back in highschool (or still do now) and belong to this high risk group, you run a 50 per cent chance of displaying psychotic symptoms in the next few years, says the new study. The Dutch researchers who conducted this study also study the beneficial effects of cannabis on pain relief. They argue for decriminalization because they say it will standardize the THC concentration, which is often extremely high in street marijuana.
-Zoe Cormier
Source: Nature
Can shampoo harm fetuses?
A chemical used in shampoos, creams and other cosmetics may be linked to birth defects, says a neurobiologist from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Elias Aizenman says that Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), which kills bacteria and is used to prevent cosmetics from going bad, disrupts the development of nerve cells. He treated rat nerves with MIT levels equivalent to what a shampoo factory worker might experience-the nerves grew at half their normal rate. Aizenman warns that pregnant women should not work in such environments, and says further studies need to be carried out on autism and other prevalent birth defects.
-Z.C.
Source: Nature
