Unintended consequences: The impact of legal commercial cannabis sales on individuals with psychosis

Andy Hyatt, MD

Cannabis legalization and commercialization is rising rapidly throughout the United States, with emerging evidence showing disproportionate impact on individuals with psychosis. This presentation will review recent developments in cannabis policy, early evidence on individuals with first episode and chronic psychosis, and discuss clinical and policy 

Learning objectives: 

1) Understand developments in the legal cannabis market that are most likely to impact individuals with and at risk for psychosis
2) Analyze the impact of cannabis policy changes on the health and well-being of individuals with psychosis
3) Discuss clinical and policy recommendations to reduce the impact of liberalized cannabis policy on individuals with and at risk for serious mental illness

Andy Hyatt is an adult psychiatrist and the medical director of the Cambridge Health Alliance Health Integration Program for psychotic disorders, an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School, and a Clinical Research Associate at the Health Evaluation Research Lab (HERLab),  He is passionate about improving the lives of individuals with serious mental illnesses. After finishing adult psychiatry residency at CHA in 2022, he was awarded the Dupont Warren Fellowship and Livingston Award through Harvard Medical School to study substance use and long-term outcomes after first episode psychosis. He is currently funded by an NIH K23 Career Development Award through the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the effect of adult use cannabis legalization on individuals with schizophrenia and related conditions.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fW133LHdTyOivE5U-bH47g

Link to CE Portal: https://www.bidmcpsychfoundation.org/products/courses/copy-of-metacognitive-reflection-and-insight-therapy-merit-1