Cannabis



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Cannabis is a plant that has grown since long before biblical times. It can be used as a drug where it displays hallucinogenic properties, as a medicine where it provides relief of the symptoms of many serious diseases, as a source of fibre for cloth, rope or papermaking and even some people think as a spiritual aid.

Marijuana
It is sometimes referred to as marijuana, which is highly offensive due to the word's origin. In the 1930's the US chose to call it marijuana because it was the Mexican name for cannabis and these stereotypes would help the government to convince people that its propaganda campaign was true and help them to make the herb an illegal drug. Although they did not bother to look the Spanish word up, and initially spelt it "Marihuana" or "Marihwana".

Harm
Dried and smoked cannabis allegedly has less harmful effect on the body than many legal drugs such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine though it is harmful. If ingested instead of smoked, it is said by many to have little to no harmful effects on the body but many others are very concerned. Note, however, that those arguments are oversimplifications. Whereas marijuana has more carcinogens, by mass, than non-chemically altered tobacco, pot smokers are much less likely to develop cancer than cigarette smokers because the sheer amount of plant material inhaled is typically much less with marijuana users than with tobacco users. Cigarettes can be more addictive than heroin, thus, their addicts use them, constantly, in massive quantities. Plus, marijuana is only mildly addictive, thus its addicts tend to be occasional users. Whereas, the inhalation of large amounts of smoke of any kind can cause cancer, the latest research has shown that there is no real link between even heavy marijuana smoking and cancer unless the amount of material combusted is so extreme that the amount of actual smoke inhaled produces carcinogenic effects. Keep in mind this is true among cannabis-only smokers as opposed to cannabis smokers that also smoke other substances such as tobacco. Cannabis also has cancer-killing properties as evidenced in a 1970's study in Spain, that was very highly suppressed by the U.S. government, showing how THC kills cancer cells dead.

Psychosis
Heavy cannabis use may be associated with the serious condition schizophrenia, (see Drug disorder schizophrenia link), but this was contradicted in a British study after observing the lack of correlation between cannabis use and schizophrenia in the 10-year period of 1996 to 2005 (see NORML news article on the study). Aforementioned study is only one of many that seem to disprove cannabis' alleged causation or activation of psychological disorders (see study conclusion for relevant information which suggests that recreational use of cannabis ie use that is not heavy doesn't cause psychosis).

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Other recent research suggests that the risk of psychosis in the general population is very small and tends to occur mostly in those who have a history of daily, heavy cannabis use for several years. Such people are more likely to suffer from chronic mental illness than the general population.

Additionally, other research has shown that the presence of Cannabadiol (CBD) in cannabis has the potential to mitigate or prevent the onset of psychotic symptoms. This is due to the chemical's anti-psychotic effects. One study has shown CBD to be just as good at treating schizophrenia as atypical anti-psychotics but with fewer side effects. Strains of cannabis bred specifically to achieve higher levels of THC generally do so at the expense of CBD. In Britain this Cannabis is referred to as "skunk." THC by itself causes both euphoria and paranoia, and it is believed that the absence of suffecient CBD allows THC to exert a negative effect on the mind over time.

Furthermore, a distinction between "psychosis" and "psychotic episodes" exists. While psychosis describes a persistent inability to understand reality in a variety of possible ways, a psychotic episode describes a relatively brief period of fear or unwarranted paranoia that usually subsides within a few hours and seldom requires medical attention. The use of marijuana is unlikely to lead to either, but more likely to lead to a psychotic episode than schizophrenia.

Bad behaviour
Cannabis can have harmful effects on behavior. Like alcohol it can cause users to do impulsive or irresponsible things and it does cause short term memory problems. Although heavy habitual use of cannabis, like any drug, can lead to dependence, cannabis allegedly lacks the powerful physical addictive nature of alcohol and nicotine and is, in comparison, less addictive. As with anything, moderation is the key, and most cannabis addictions can be ascribed to the user's addictive personality rather than the substance itself (see explanation of addictive personality and cannabis use, this source may be biased).

Medical use
Cannabis has many legitimate medical uses. It can reduce the pain of sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis, allegedly increase the appetite of malnourished AIDS victims and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and even help to stabilize the mood of people suffering from depression and anxiety and help some people with ADHD to calm down and focus better. If you think you may have ADHD take extra care over cannabis. Your condition makes you excitable and unhibited and cannabis may aggravate this. With illegal cannabis you never know what dose you are getting or what impurities have been added.

Recreational use
Cannabis also allegedly offers many benefits as a recreational drug. It creates a euphoric and calm state of mind without the severe impairment and harmful effects on the body caused by alcohol, making it the better choice for parties and social gatherings. It can also reduce the inhibitions of people tempted to commit serious crimes without reducing their ability to commit these crimes. It inspires creativity and enhances the enjoyment of everything without dulling the mind the way alcohol does.

Religion
Some religious zealots allegedly disregard Cannabis as medicinal and safe by citing debunked myths. This is largely due to their fear of the herb's potential to induce genuine religious experiences in users and therefore posing a threat to the world's religious infrastructure. The herb has, in fact, been used for centuries in many parts of the world as a religious sacrament and can provide the modern user with a deeper appreciation of spirituality often lacking in our greed-driven society.