High Prescribing: A Case Study of High‐Potency Medicinal Cannabis Inducing Psychosis
Case Reports in Psychiatry January 1, 2024 Richard C. J. Bradlow, Sophie Wright, Anamaria Szrajbman Vaz da Silva et al. 3 citations
A 21-year-old Indigenous Australian man developed psychosis after switching from illicit cannabis to prescribed medical cannabis, experiencing delusions that his partner was unfaithful (Othello delusions), becoming violent toward her, and attempting suicide. Cannabis use, whether prescribed or illicit, is linked to psychotic illness and elevated risk of cannabis use disorder. Prescribers should screen for risk factors like family history of psychosis, monitor patients regularly, and provide harm reduction advice. The authors call for stricter regulation of medical cannabis prescribing in Australia.