Cannabis
The Killer and the Life Saver
Yusuf Omran, Muhammad Alvi, Reuben Dhillon
What is Cannabis?
Cannabis (or Marijuana) is a plant that grows in tropical climates (DrugFacts: Marijuana, 2016). It has both positive and negative effects on the body. It could be used positively because Marijuana is a hallucinogen, making it will a very helpful remedy that can relax and help the user forget about any problems they may be facing in their lives . But marijuana could be used in a negative way as people can hallucinate bad things that will cause them to become crazy and psychotic because they do not have control over the brain (THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA, 2016). Doing it without Doctor’s supervision is dangerous because it could leave them in a state of being “high”. While high, the user may feel good, but once the side effects kick in, the user will no longer be so happy. Marijuana can be smoked, eaten (in edible forms), or vaporized. (DrugFacts: Marijuana, 2016)
Cannabis Street Names:
Cannabis is a very common drug (THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA, 2016), and there are tons of names that people use to identify it.
Mary Jane, Ganja, Pot, Grass, Dope, Texas Tea, Hemp, Blunt, Weed, Giggles, Skunk, Joy, Hash, Flower, Doobie, Cola, Locoweed, Reefer, Wildwood Weed, Bud. (THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA, 2016)
Effects:
Short Term Effects
Time distortion and small attention span are only some of the short term effects included with consuming marijuana. It makes it harder to pay attention and makes the user's memory much more vague for the time that they are 'high' (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016). It majorly affects the user's balance and coordination (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016). It also makes the user more sensitive to emotions because they may not understand what it going on (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016). The heart begins to beat much faster, making the risk of a heart attack much higher. It also takes longer to react to things while in the state of being 'high' (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016).
Long Term Effects
Cannabis causes problems with motor function, memory, and attention (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016). It can be linked to higher chances of anxiety, depression, psychosis and lung cancer. Also, the user can experience growth stunting if consumed while the body is still in development (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016). While the user smokes, they are rapidly losing lung tissues and fibres (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016). They are also losing brain cells which can cause permanent damage to the brain. One major side effect is that it can change the user's personality and the way they think (Cannabis Canadian Drug Summary, 2016). It becomes very hard to understand things clearly and their memory becomes very vague.
Biological Effects of Cannabis
Legal Status
Signs of Addiction
Are you looking to quit the use of Cannabis?
Are you looking to quit the use of Cannabis? Try these helpful methods:
Call 800-654-0987 to speak with a addiction treatment counselor. (10 Common Marijuana Addiction Symptoms, unknown year)
http://www.smartrecovery.org/community/forum.php - A forum where Cannabis abusers go to quit Marijuana with help from the community.
https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/meetings/online - A site where abusers go to chat with a community and professionals in order to get rid of the addiction.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/available-treatments-marijuana-use-disorders - A government site where a vast amount of treatment options, podcasts, forum posts, and meet ups occur to help users quit.
Statistics of Marijuana Abuse:
Interesting Facts
- Use of Cannabis can increase chances of car accidents by 2-3 times.
- Weed is the most common name for Cannabis.
- About 24% of all Canadians aged 15-24 years have used Cannabis at least once in their life.
- Cannabis alone is worth almost 20% of the total drug cost per year in Canada.
- The 3 main ways to consume Cannabis is by smoking it, eating it in edible forms, and vaporizing it.
- Cannabis is the 2nd most used drug in CANADA.
- 43% of teens (15+) in Canada have tried Cannabis at least once.
- Canadians aged 18 to 24 use cannabis the most.
- Possession of Cannabis in Canada (without a prescription) can get you up to 5 years in prison.
- Cannabis is used nearly twice as much in males than females
ASAP Science's Video on Marijuana:
References
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Cannabis (Canadian Drug Summary). (2016, April). Retrieved May, 2016, from <http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource Library/CCSA-Canadian-Drug-Summary-Cannabis-2016-en.pdf>
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Mehling, R. (2003). Marijuana. Philadelphia: Chelsea House.
Online Meetings. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2016, from https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/meetings/online
SMART Recovery OnlineAccount Login. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2016, from http://www.smartrecovery.org/community/forum.php
What is Marijuana? How is Marijuana Used? Street Names for Marijuana - Drug-Free World. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2016, from http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana.html
Marijuana plants. [Photograph]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.