Cannabis Use or Marijuana Use

Cannabis Use or Marijuana Use

Cannabis use, also known as marijuana smoking, has seen a rise in popularity in recent decades. Indeed, once a serious criminal offence, cannabis use has been decriminalized in many states. Also, in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, world famous coffee shops have been offering all sorts of marijuana joints in a completely legal and fairly safe manner. But is cannabis or marijuana use safe? The question has often been answered in the affirmative, but deserves a second look.

For example, while smoking marijuana may be far less addictive and destructive than injecting heroin, cannabis use still comes with its pitfalls and dangers, perhaps one of the worst ones being cannabis-induced psychosis or substance-induced psychosis. In fact, many studies have shown that prolonged use of the substance, particularly starting in the teenage years, can lead to the development of psychotic features and some scholars even argue that such psychosis may progress further into full blown schizophrenia.

Prolonged marijuana use or cannabis use may lead to psychosis. Image: Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Naturally, recreational marijuana use is not the same as medicinal marijuana use. Further, people with several conditions have been legally prescribed marijuana to alleviate their symptoms, such as glaucoma or chronic back pain. Still, marijuana is an addictive substance and while less addictive physically than cocaine, heroin or even nicotine, it is very addictive psychologically. What happens with habitual users is that they start to rely on hemp for all their leisure activities. When non-users rely on hobbies and other pleasurable activities to keep them entertained, people who habitually get intoxicated by the herb gradually lose all other interests and feel quite bored without the substance.

Another point often overlooked in modern day cannabis use is how chemical it has become. When the drug first became popular, in the 1960s, it was fairly natural and unaltered, even though it still produced psychedelic effects. In contrast, today many chemicals are added to the natural ingredient and the drug has become many times more potent than it once was. Thus, marijuana or cannabis use today is much more dangerous than is usually believed.