Use of cannabis and incidence of psychotic symptoms: evidence from buenos aires

Abstract

Objectives: Cannabis use has been frequently associated to the experience of psychotic symptoms in the research literature. The objective was to investigate the association between cannabis use and psychotic like experiences in the city of Buenos Aires. Methods: A sample of 862 respondents of the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, aged ≥18 years, was interviewed regarding their cannabis use, and presence of psychotic like experiences. Results: Cannabis use was associated to psychotic like experiences, in particular to perceptual abnormalities (visual and auditory hallucinations). No association was found, however, between frequency of use and number of PLEs. Conclusions: Cannabis use could be related to the presence of PLEs. These results are pertinent regarding prevention, and could contribute to the analysis of the safety of cannabis use in the population studied.