Cannabis Made Me Do It?
When Psych Ward Graphs Become National Policy—Without the Fine Print
A new study, called “Changes in psychosis-related emergency department and hospitalization rates among youth following cannabis legalization in Colorado” says cannabis-related psychosis hospitalizations in Colorado went up fivefold after legalization. That sounds terrifying. But what if I told you the panic wasn’t about cannabis—it was about how badly we misunderstand what these hospitalizations actually mean?
This post is for everyone who’s heard the scary headline but sensed something was missing. Spoiler: you’re right. Let’s talk about what’s really going on behind the numbers.
What They Got Right—And What They Missed
There is something in the data: hospitalizations for psychosis + cannabis-use-disorder (CUD) codes are rising. Especially among young adults. Especially post-legalization. That part’s true.
But what isn’t in the data?
🫥 No info on what cannabis was used (5mg? 500mg?)
🕳️ No control group to compare trends
🌀 No way to tell if cannabis caused psychosis or showed up after it started
📄 No exploration of what a CUD diagnosis actually reflects
❓ Have you ever seen a policy argument made with half a graph and none of the denominator?
💬 Leave a comment if you’ve seen headlines ignore complexity in favor of fear.
CUD Is a Diagnostic Mirage
A diagnosis of cannabis use disorder sounds ominous—but it’s often just code for:
“Uses cannabis regularly and maybe built up a tolerance.”
🧾 Diagnosed without nuance
📈 Applied more often after legalization (more access = more honest disclosure)
🧍♂️ Sometimes given to people using cannabis successfully for chronic conditions
🚫 CUD ≠ dysfunction. Sometimes it just means: “This person uses cannabis in a legal state.”
Question for you: Should “spending time acquiring cannabis” really qualify as a disorder in a world with dispensaries on every corner?
📣 Share this Substack if you’ve ever been misdiagnosed for something that wasn’t actually a problem.
If Cannabis Caused Psychosis, the World Would Look Different
If cannabis were actually driving psychosis at scale, you’d expect psychiatric units in Canada, Portugal, or the Netherlands to be bursting at the seams.
🧭 But they’re not.
📊 Psychosis prevalence remains stable—around 0.4% globally
🏙️ Cities with high cannabis use (LA, Amsterdam, DC) aren’t seeing spikes in first-break psychosis
This isn’t just missing context. It’s proof that cannabis isn’t the disaster some headlines claim.
What do you think: Why are we so ready to blame cannabis when the global data says otherwise?
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The Real Risk? Cannabis Without Guidance
People landing in hospitals aren’t average users. They’re often:
💸 Medicaid-insured
🧠 Dealing with trauma or psychiatric illness
🚷 Using unregulated, high-potency cannabis alone
What they need isn’t prohibition. It’s support.
🤝 Guidance.
💬 Real clinical dialogue.
🛑 Not scare campaigns and silence from healthcare.
Have you ever tried to talk to a doctor about cannabis and got shut down?
💬 Drop a comment—I’d love to hear how that went.
What Smart Policy Would Actually Look Like
Don’t punish the plant. Focus on the patterns.
⚠️ Flag high-risk use (like daily dabbing in teens)
📚 Fund cannabis education
🧪 Regulate for dose and balance, not hysteria
🩺 Train clinicians to talk without judging
Because when cannabis goes mainstream but the medicine doesn’t follow, the harm comes not from what people use—but from what they don’t know.
💡 Share this if you’re tired of outdated drug policy that’s allergic to nuance.
Want the Deep Dive?
This is the abridged version. If you’re hungry for the full breakdown—including citations, public health data, diagnostic flaws, and global contrasts—check out the full version here:
👉 Read the full CEDclinic.com article
😆 Let’s End on a Laugh
Why did the psychiatrist break up with cannabis?
Too many high-maintenance patients.
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