The five-item Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-5) provides comparable measurements across six Latin American countries. Using alignment analysis on data from 2,519 people in El Salvador, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, the study found that both factor loadings and item intercepts were invariant (R² = 0.99 for each), with 0% of parameters non-invariant. This supports metric and scalar invariance, allowing mean comparisons. No significant differences in mindfulness levels were observed across countries. The authors caution that the MAAS has been criticized for measuring inattention rather than attention.
A systematic review of 19 studies across 18 countries confirms that cannabis use is linked to the onset of psychotic symptoms. However, no data supported an increased risk, earlier onset, or greater intensity of psychosis among cannabis users in countries with higher levels of cannabis legalization or decriminalization up to May 2018. The authors note that none of the reviewed studies specifically evaluated the effects of legalization or decriminalization policies on these outcomes, so the absence of evidence does not rule out such effects. They call for prospective studies focused on policy impacts in countries like Canada, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, and Uruguay.
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), sold as 'K2', 'K9', or 'Spice', pose greater health risks than cannabis, with higher toxicity and addiction potential unrelated to Δ9-THC. A systematic review of 64 articles (10 original papers and 54 case studies) found that SCs, particularly AB-CHMINACA and MDMB-CHMICA, were linked to deaths, with tachycardia and seizures as the most common toxicity symptoms. Third-generation SCs showed higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. SCs may exhibit greater toxicity and longer-lasting effects than THC, especially harmful for people with epilepsy and schizophrenia due to increased risk of psychiatric and neurologic disorders, convulsive crises, consciousness decline, and hemodynamic changes.