| " Writing in the Lancet, a team led by Dr Stanley Zammit from Bristol and Cardiff Universities said young people needed to be made aware of the dangers. " " In an additional article, experts said up to 800 schizophrenia cases a year in the UK could be linked to cannabis use. " " The researchers looked at 35 studies on the drug and mental health - but some experts urged caution over the results. " " The study found the most frequent users of cannabis have twice the risk of non-users of developing psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. " " The authors said the risk to any individual of getting schizophrenia remained low overall, but because cannabis use was so common, they estimated it could be a factor in 14% of psychotic problems among young adults in the UK. " "All the studies have found an association and it seems appropriate to warn members of the public about the possible risk" " However, they said they could not rule out the possibility that people at a higher risk of mental illness were more likely to use the drug. " " Study author, Professor Glyn Lewis, professor of psychiatric epidemiology, said: "It is possible that the people who use cannabis might have other characteristics that themselves increase risk of psychotic illness. " " "However, all the studies have found an association and it seems appropriate to warn members of the public about the possible risk." " " He added he would particularly advise users who were developing mental health problems or who had a family history of psychotic illness to quit using the drug. " " In an accompanying editorial, Danish researchers said the figures presented in the research translated to about 800 potentially avoidable cases of schizophrenia a year in the UK among 15- to 34-year-olds. " " Cannabis is currently a class C drug, having been downgraded from class B in 2004 - a move that made possession of the drug a largely non-arrestable offence. " "Their prediction... is not supported by the fact that the incidence of schizophrenia has not shown any significant change in the past 30 years" " However, earlier this month, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a consultation on reclassifying cannabis as class B, amid reports that more potent strains such as "skunk" are becoming widely available. " " In the following days a string of Cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Chancellor Alistair Darling and Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, admitted having taken cannabis when they were younger. " " Professor Robin Murray, professor of psychiatry
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