With 150 cannabinoids and 200 terpenes, a cannabis plant could have 30,000 possible combinations producing its effects, plus flavonoids, etc.
Yet, whenever a study was published it merely referenced “Cannabis,” and little more. Sometimes not even mentioning that 10x more tobacco was also ingested with it, like in England. Or that it was hash not flowers.
And then there is the wide diversity of kinds of Cannabis, Types 1 through 6, determined by their chemical content. Type 1 is THC dominant, 2 is balanced THC and CBD at ~1:1, 3 is CBD dominant, 4 is CBG, 5 is no cannabinoids (a rare form of hemp), and Type 6 is CBC dominant. Yet, studies often made no distinction between them.
And that’s a significant confounder since THC may exacerbate mental illness but CBD can treat it, yet they make no difference in their catch-all “Cannabis.” This study acknowledges that for the first time.
The Paradoxical Effect of Cannabis Use on Cognition in Chronic Psychotic Disorders
“Abstract
Background/objectives: Cannabis use has a particularly high prevalence in individuals with psychotic disorders. Although cannabis use is generally associated with cognitive impairments in the general population, its impact on cognition in psychosis remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association between cannabis use and cognitive performance in a cohort of individuals affected by psychotic disorders.
Methods: A total of 105 inpatients with psychotic disorders (mean age: 40.3 years; 34 females) were recruited from the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana. Data collection included socio-demographic and clinical variables. Cognitive functioning was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while psychopathology was assessed with the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS), and the Scale for the Assessment of Thought, Language, and Communication (TLC).
Results: Cannabis users (CU) were more frequently male, younger, and exhibited an earlier onset of psychosis compared to non-users (No-CU). Importantly, CU demonstrated higher MoCA scores, with the most favorable outcomes observed among daily users. [higher score is better – RR]
Conclusions: Contrary to the prevailing assumption that cannabis use exacerbates cognitive decline, our findings indicate an unexpected association between cannabis use and preserved cognitive functioning in psychosis. These results underscore the need to consider dosage, frequency, and cannabinoid composition (THC/CBD ratio) when interpreting cannabis-related cognitive outcomes in psychotic disorders.”
Pathophysiology, 2026 Jan 27
Rad more at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41718389/