American Psychiatric Association Publishing Marijuana and Mental Health

Highly Commended in Psychiatry in the 2017 BMA Medical Book Awards Even while many American states have passed legislation pertaining to medical marijuana and others have decriminalized or even legalised recreational use, a debate continues within society as to whether marijuana is simply a harmless substance that should be fully legalised, a possibly beneficial treatment for patients with certain illnesses, or a drug with the potential to worsen addiction and cause mental health problems. The controversy persists in the medical community as well, where accumulating evidence implicates cannabis use, especially in adolescence, as a risk factor for poor educational achievement and substance use disorders, as well as schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, all of which complicates the heated discourse on legalisation. Although other books have explored the medical cannabis and the neuroscience behind cannabis, no single source of comprehensive information on cannabis and mental health has existed to date. Balanced, focused, and highly readable, Marijuana and Mental Health fills this void. It provides an academic foundation for further study while also informing clinical mental health practice as well as policy decisions by articulating the connection between cannabis and mental health. Relatable clinical vignettes that contextualize these issues and illustrate the clinical applicability of the content, as well as key chapter points that emphasise major takeaways, make Marijuana and Mental Health the authoritative reference for clinical and research psychiatrists, psychiatric trainees and fellows, clinical psychologists, and psychiatric nurses.