Over the recent years, there has been evident tension between the belief that cannabis is an effective treatment for an assortment of illnesses and the lack of scientific data on the full extent of its specific effects. Regardless, multiple states across America continue to make cannabis readily available for medical and recreational purposes.
According to a recent study, the increased use of marijuana might not even be related to its legalization; this rise in use only prompts an uncertainty that continues to exacerbate over time.
Cannabis often comes in multiple forms such as hash and pot and can be mixed with tobacco, baked into food, drunk as a brew, or smoked through a pipe, bong, and joint.
As far as recreational purposes go, you can access the best quality cannabis products by simply getting a premium smoking subscription box and having your Me Time Box delivered to your doorstep. Even though cannabis can be used in many ways, it is best to try to use it in the safest way possible.
Table of Contents
What Is Cannabis
Cannabis is a drug that is often smoked as a joint or spliff but can also be brewed in tea or cooked in food. Different people use cannabis for different purposes, but most people use it for self-medication to relieve physical and mental symptoms.
Cannabis might help you feel better short term but might increase problems or create new ones if used over the long term. Generally, cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in the whole world, and youngsters are more likely to use it than the elderly.
How Does Cannabis Work
When smoked, cannabis goes into your bloodstream and is then carried to your brain, which affects your behavior and mood. Cannabis contains various chemicals called cannabinoids; some examples are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is a hallucinogen and the most active ingredient of the cannabis plant, which means the higher the THC level, the greater the effect.
For instance, skunk, a stronger cannabis variety, contains higher THC levels compared to milder cannabis strains, which is why its effects are stronger and faster. On the other hand, higher CBD levels lessen the unwanted psychoactive effects of THC like paranoia and hallucinations, and other effects. CBD also reduces anxiety.
Overall, how cannabis affects you will depend on:
- How strong it is
- How you took it
- How much you used
- Where it is from
- How you are feeling
- Who you are with
- Whether you have mixed it with other drugs and alcohol
How Can Cannabis Make You Feel?
Cannabis has both pleasant and unpleasant effects. While most of its effects usually last for a few hours, it also has long-term symptoms. If you are young and smoke strong cannabis strains regularly over a long period, the risks may worsen.
Pleasant Effects of Cannabis
Using cannabis makes you feel relaxed, happy, talkative, or laugh more than usual. It also makes colors and music appear sharper and brighter. These pleasant effects of cannabis are referred to as a ‘high.’
Unpleasant Effects of Cannabis
Cannabis often causes; depersonalization, hallucinations, disorientation, paranoia, changes in mood, and delusion. After using cannabis, you might find it difficult; to concentrate, sleep well and remember things. You might also feel; hungry, depressed, or like time is slowing down.
To some extent, it can lower your motivation and affect how you sense things. Feeling, seeing, and hearing things differently is known as hallucinating, which can be a sign of psychosis. Psychosis is a symptom related to psychotic or mental illnesses such as:
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
How Can Cannabis Affect Your Mental Health
Although regular cannabis use is linked to increased levels of depression and anxiety, most researchers choose to focus on the link between cannabis and psychosis. Cannabis may increase the risk of developing mental illnesses, but not everyone who uses it will develop schizophrenia or psychosis.
Even though not everyone with psychotic illnesses has used cannabis, smoking it, especially if you are genetically vulnerable to mental health problems, makes you more likely to develop psychotic illnesses. Being genetically vulnerable means that you are naturally more likely to develop a mental illness since it runs in your family. Using cannabis will only put you at a higher risk.
Something To Think About
Given the complexity of conducting cannabis-related research and the complexity of the cannabis plant itself, it is not a surprise that mixed messages about cannabis are becoming more and more common over time.
Most discussions surrounding cannabis are either politically or emotionally charged, which makes them polarized. More research is being conducted to fully comprehend the extent of cannabis effects since when it comes to addiction and mental health, you can not afford to be blinded by lazy thinking and ideologies.