Marijuana/Cannabis
Cannabis, also known as marijuana or ganja, is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. indica. The herbal form of the drug consists of dried mature flowers and subtending leaves of pistillate (”female”) plants. The resinous form, known as hashish, consists primarily of glandular trichomes collected from the same plant material.
A dried flowered bud of the Cannabis sativa plant.The major biologically active chemical compound in cannabis is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred to as THC.
Humans have been consuming cannabis since prehistory, although in the 20th century there was a rise in its use for recreational, religious or spiritual and medicinal purposes. It is estimated that about four percent of the world’s adult population use cannabis annually and 0.6 percent daily. The possession, use, or sale of psychoactive cannabis products became illegal in most parts of the world in the early 20th century. Since then, some countries have intensified the enforcement of cannabis prohibition while others have reduced the priority of enforcement, almost to the point of legalisation.
It is often claimed by growers and breeders of herbal cannabis that advances in breeding and cultivation techniques have increased the potency of cannabis since the late 1960s and early ’70s. However, potent seedless marijuana such as “Thai sticks” were already available at that time. “Skunk” cannabis is a potent strain of cannabis, grown through selective breeding and usually hydroponics, that is a cross-breed of Cannabis sativa and C. indica. Skunk cannabis potency ranges usually from 6% to 15% and rarely as high as 20%.
Effects of Cannabis
Cannabis has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed, usually by smoking or ingestion. The minimum amount of THC required to have a perceptible psychoactive effect is about 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight (which, in practical terms, is a varying amount, dependent upon potency). A related compound, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin, also known as THCV, is produced in appreciable amounts by certain drug strains. This cannabinoid has been described in the popular literature as having shorter-acting, flashier effects than THC, but recent studies suggest that it may actually inhibit the effects of THC.
Cannabis use has been alleged to be associated with several illnesses. Due to its illegal status in many countries, it has been difficult to research these claims. Smoked cannabis, especially together with tobacco, has been linked to lung cancer by some studies, but others have found no significant evidence of a link.
Health Issues associated with Cannabis
Cannabis is considered to be a ’soft’ drug by most people and, apart perhaps from the mistaken belief that it will lead to ‘hard’ drug use, it is seen by many as a fairly benign drug. However, this does not mean that the use of cannabis entails no health-risks.
It has been argued that cannabis smoke contains carcinogenic substances. The British Lung Foundation recently reported that smoking 3 cannabis ‘joints’ was equivalent to 20 cigarettes. When cannabis is smoked mixed with tobacco, the problems associated with tobacco smoking also become relevant. Cannabis smoking is also believed by some experts to be associated with conditions such as bronchitis. Evidence to cannabis’s relative harm in this respect (compared to say cigarettes) is as yet contradictory.
Some experts believe that cannabis use must also be seen as involving some risk of dependence. It is clear however that while some individuals may suffer from problems not dissimilar in many ways to a dependence syndrome, for the majority of users dependence is not an outcome and as such cannabis would not normatively be understood as a drug of addiction. In considering this issue, it is important to understand that dependence must be seen within the context of the drug in question, the individual in question and their social context. Dependence is, therefore, a relationship and is not simply a property of any given substance. Some drugs (heroin, cocaine, alcohol, tobacco) are more addictive than others - cannabis is less so.
One further issue pertaining to cannabis and the question of harm, relates to individuals with mental health issues. Although the evidence is not conclusive, some research has suggested that cannabis can stimulate mental health disorders such as schizophrenia. Put briefly, any ‘mind altering substances’ may involve additional problems for those with mental health problems. Cannabis use has been linked to psychosis by several peer-reviewed studies. A 1987 Swedish study claiming a link between cannabis use and schizophrenia was criticized for not differentiating between cannabis use and the use of other narcotics, and its results have not been verified by other studies. More recently, the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study published research showing an increased risk of psychosis for cannabis users with a certain genetic predisposition, held by 25% of the population. In 2007, a study published in The Lancet and a poll of mental health experts showed that a growing number of medical health practitioners are convinced that cannabis use increases susceptibility to mental illness, accounting for 14% of United Kingdom psychosis cases.