Last updated on: 3/31/2011 | Author: ProCon.org

Jim van Os, PhD, MD Biography

Title:
Professor of Psychiatry at Maastricht University Medical Centre
Position:
Not Clearly Pro or Con to the question "Should Marijuana Be a Medical Option?"
Reasoning:

“Cannabis use is a risk factor for the development of incident psychotic symptoms. Continued cannabis use might increase the risk for psychotic disorder by impacting on the persistence of symptoms.”

“Continued Cannabis Use and Risk of Incidence and Persistence of Psychotic Symptoms: 10 Year Follow-up Cohort Study,” BMJ, Mar. 1, 2011
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
     Key Experts
Physicians [Physicians are the "key experts" in the medical marijuana debate because the issue is thought by many to be ultimately based on the medical value and risks of marijuana, and Physicians, with their training and clinical work, should (at least in theory) have the best knowledge of marijuana's medical value and risks.] [Note: Key Experts definition varies by sites that have this designation.]
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University
  • Professor, Psychiatric Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Aug. 1995-present
  • Visiting Professor, Psychiatric Epidemiology, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London
  • Director of Psychiatric Services, Maastricht University Medical Centre
  • Member, editorial board, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica,European Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Schizophrenia Research, Schizophrenia Bulletin, Early Intervention in Psychiatry and The Journal of Mental Health
  • Member, Psychosis Group, DSM-V Task Force
  • Co-chair, APA DSM/ICD conference “Deconstructing Psychosis”
Education:
  • MD, school unknown
  • PhD, school unknown
Other:
  • Completed training in Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Maudsley/Bethlem Royal Hospital (London, England)
  • Completed a three-year UK Medical Research Council Training Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine