Abstract
The upcoming referendum on recreational cannabis use in New Zealand highlights the impact of cannabis use on health. While cannabis is commonly used in New Zealand, the consequences of heavy use are yet to be fully understood. The association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms is well established. What is yet to be investigated is the impact cannabis use has on the patterns of psychotic symptoms. The present study used information gathered from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) cohort. The CHDS is a longitudinal study which collected information on the participants' frequency of cannabis use and their experiences of psychotic symptoms at ages 18, 21, and 25.The present study used this data to investigate whether there was a significant difference between the patterns of psychotic symptoms reported from regular cannabis users compared to non-cannabis users. The results showed there were no significant differences between the patterns of psychotic symptoms reported between the two groups, indicating regular cannabis users are experiencing the same severity of symptoms as non-cannabis users.