Cannabis

It’s gone by many names over the years, ‘weed’ and ‘marijuana’ being the most common. ‘Cannabis’ is regarded as the most scientific term. It is the most used drug in the UK and its effects vary from person to person. Consuming cannabis in large amounts regularly can impact your mental health, leading to effects that can be irreversible.

This is not to say that it’s impossible to use cannabis safely. The sections below explain how to maintain a healthy relationship with cannabis as well as the risks that come with short and long-term use.

What is cannabis?

Cannabis is a herbal substance that can be smoked, vaped or eaten. Dab pens and edibles have become the most prevalent forms in recent times.

The drug has two active ingredients that give it its desirable effects; tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

THC alters the amount of pleasure in the brain, which is what gets you high. However, THC  is also known to produce a ‘fight or flight’ response, which can cause anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks.

CBD can balance out the negative effects of THC as it alters the mood and pain management regions of the brain.

Side effects (Short and Long Term)

Short-term effects depend on how much is taken and in what form. If you smoke cannabis, you will start to feel stoned within a couple of minutes. If you eat cannabis (an edible), the effects can take up to an hour to appear.

Positive short-term effects include feelings of giddiness and joy. Colours may seem more vibrant. You may enjoy music more.

Negative short-term effects include the aforementioned ‘fight or flight’ feelings of anxiety and paranoia. However, more severe psychological symptoms are also known to occur, such as hallucinations and hearing voices.

These symptoms can lead to psychotic disorders after long-term use.  Insomnia, depression and reduced motivation can also occur after long-term use.

Risks

In terms of mental health, as well as psychotic and sleep disorders, cannabis can impair your short-term memory and increase your chances of developing schizophrenia.

Smoking cannabis comes with the same risks as smoking tobacco: high blood pressure, increased risk of lung cancer, wheezing and coughing due to irritated airways.

Vaping cannabis via dab pens comes with its own set of risks. The main risk depends on how the THC, the key ingredient in dab pens, is supplied. THC is expensive and some dealers will substitute it with a synthetic cannabinoid, commonly known as spice.

Spice comes with many of the same risks as cannabis, but it is known to cause death via seizures, strokes and kidney failure.

Edibles can cause more harm than smoked cannabis as their THC content can be mixed with other substances.

The biggest advantage of edibles for a distributor is their appearance. Since they don’t resemble the other, more obvious forms of cannabis, they can be more difficult to detect for police and can possibly fall into the hands of children.