Research has shown that dedicated smokers of cannabis are seventy times more likely to develop psychosis over a lifetime. And early adopters – those smoking it in adolescence – are likely to experience degraded IQ levels. In other words, smoking weed does make you crazy and dumb. So say the neuroscientists.
The term marijuana is now considered pejorative as it was used to denigrate Mexican immigrants coming to the USA in the 1920s. Not only were they immigrants they were ‘drug fiends’. Racist trope or not, cannabis does have an impact on the functioning of the brain.
The problem appears to lie in the compound THC which brings about the high by messing with the neurotransmitter dopamine. The brain relates to the alteration of the dopamine reaction by inducing a state of anxiety which in the long term can bring about paranoia and eventually psychosis, which is another term for describing a troubled mind. The jury is out still debating if this damage is permanent or reversible.
The issue also appears to be that some consumers spend most of their day high, from first thing in the morning to last thing at night, and this continuous use does not allow dopamine levels to stabilise.
Another factor is the higher potency of modern strains such as sinsemilla or skunk which are grown with higher THC content but lower CBD, the cannabidiol which has many therapeutic effects. CBD does not stimulate Serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in the alleviation of pain and distress, but rather affects the way it interacts with dopamine, counterbalancing anxiety.
Cannabis strains that have both high THC and CBD content are described as mellow. Hashish, which is cannabis in a resin form, usually has a higher CBD level.
Hemp is a cannabis plant that has very low THC levels, and also contains CBD, but many people find the low-grade cannabidiol from hemp induces nausea. However, this does mean that to produce good quality CBD, a grower has to isolate the THC element which in many countries is still illegal. So while you can grow hemp in your garden, you can’t smoke it or use it to cure your asthma or relieve arthritis.
Medicinal cannabis remains illegal in many countries even though it does not contain THC but is guilty by association. Growers are often allowed to harvest cannabis for medical use but if the same plants are used for recreational use then the growing of cannabis is illegal. It’s all about intent.
Cannabis was used widely in ancient societies. Some even claim that the burning bush that appeared before Moses in the Bible was a Cannabis plant. Kaneh Bosom oil also referred to in the Bible may have been Cannabis oil. The Hindu Brahmins consumed an unknown substance called soma at their mystic ceremonies which may have been a Cannabis resin derivative. Cannabis was widely available in pharmacies until the 1930s.
Detractors of the prohibition against Cannabis argue that pharmaceutical companies promote equally harmful synthetic drugs while encouraging governments to outlaw naturally growing medicine. If you drink alcohol all day, you will likely become an alcoholic with cirrhosis. It’s not about Cannabis itself, but moderation.
AS Bob Marley, a Rastafarian, a Jamaican religious movement that consider cannabis as a sacred plant, said: Herb is a plant. Herb is so good for everything. Why these people who want to do so much good for everyone, who call themselves government and this and that, why them say you must not use the herb? You see, them say you must not use the herb because it makes you a rebel.’
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