A BBC journalist says she began losing her mind while smoking cannabis for a month as part of a television experiment.
Mother-of-three Nicky Taylor, 43, suffered paranoia, fear and anxiety after smoking marijuana every day as part of a documentary into the long-term effects of the drug.
And when she allowed herself to be injected with pure THC — the active ingredient in cannabis — she had a psychotic episode the equivalent of a schizophrenic attack.
"I felt absolutely terrified," Taylor said.
"Paranoia set in, and I felt as if I was having a panic attack.
"At one point, I was simply too frightened to get out of my chair … I had a feeling the drug had unlocked some sort of paranoia in my head that would never go away again."
Taylor filmed her experiment for the BBC documentary "Should I Smoke Dope?", which airs tonight in Britain.
She admits to experimenting with cannabis while at university 20 years ago, but says today's hydroponically-grown "skunk" is far stronger and more dangerous.
But it was the THC injection that Taylor says "totally wrecked my mind".
"I was thinking about jumping out of a window," she said.
A psychological score rated her psychosis as greater than that found in some people suffering a schizophrenic attack.
Taylor has experimented on herself before.
In the past, she has filmed herself receiving plastic surgery, binge drinking and not bathing or showering for six weeks.
Taylor has reportedly suffered no permanent damage."
BBC Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
A personalised tool to help users track selected stocks. Delivering real-time notifications on price updates, announcements, and performance stats on each to help make informed investment decisions.
(20min delay)