The marijuana or cannabis sativa It is a common drug of abuse whose active substance is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocarbocannabinol). The THC it contains is mainly found in the buds of the cannabis sativa plant, so its consumers usually consume only the crushed buds (“maría”), their pollen (“pollen”) or the pressed pollen (“hashish”)..
The consequences of smoking marijuana are psychological and physical: it causes tolerance and psychological addiction, negative behavioral effects, damage to the brain and others that will be described later..
The oldest known written record of cannabis use comes from the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2727 BC. The ancient Greeks and Romans were also familiar with cannabis, while in the Middle East, the use spread throughout the Islamic empire to North Africa. In 1545 it spread to the Western Hemisphere, where the Spanish imported it to Chile for use as fiber..
Marijuana, known as pot in some Latin American countries, is one of the most widely used drugs of abuse despite being illegal in most countries. Today there is an open debate about its legality, as many consider it a soft drug. In fact, there are more and more countries where its use is considered legal, whether therapeutic or recreational..
Is marijuana harmful? Is it really a soft drug? What harmful physical and mental side effects does it produce in our body? And in our behavior are there noticeable changes before and after? Does it serve a good thing?
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Marijuana is usually consumed by smoking a mixture of the substance with tobacco to facilitate its burning and inhalation. This form of administration causes the effects to occur almost instantaneously, since the active principle is absorbed through the capillary veins of the lungs and alveoli, and quickly reaches the bloodstream and the brain..
Once it reaches the central nervous system, THC binds to the CB1 receptors of the cannabinoid system. The existence of receptors for THC in our body is an indicator that our own body naturally generates substances that bind to these receptors and cause an effect similar to that of THC.
The endogenous substances that bind to this type of receptor are lipids and the best known are anandamide and 2-AG (2-arachidonylglycerol). In addition to cannabis, there are other products or substances that contain anandamides that bind to these receptors, such as chocolate.
Furthermore, the number of cannabinoid receptors in our central nervous system is greater than that of any other neurotransmitter.< en ciertas zonas del cerebro su número es hasta 12 veces mayor que el de los receptores de dopamina.
The cannabinoid system acts primarily in the cerebellum, which governs motor coordination; in the brain stem, which regulates vital functions; and in the striatum, the hippocampus and the amygdala, responsible for reflex movements, memory and anxiety respectively.
The following figure shows the current legal situation of marijuana around the world:
The increase in the consumption of this substance is due, among other factors, to the fact that more and more countries are joining the legalization of its consumption and cultivation, whether recreational or medicinal. In some countries, such as Spain, cannabis use has been discriminated against, that is, marijuana users are no longer socially frowned upon. In fact, several therapeutic effects on health are known.
Marijuana use has several effects on behavior and cognition, both in the short and long term:
The active ingredient in marijuana (THC) binds to cannabinoid receptors, triggering the release of dopamine from the reward system.
All substances, actions, objects, etc. that may be subject to an addiction cause this effect.
Due to the increased release of dopamine in the reward system, it creates a pleasant effect that works as a reinforcer and makes the person who consumes it feel like continuing to take it.
Unlike other drugs, such as heroin or cocaine, it does not cause long-term brain changes. This means that the brain changes described in point 1 are transitory..
Physiological addiction occurs when prolonged use of a substance produces permanent changes in the brain that create a discomfort effect when the person has not consumed the substance for a while (withdrawal syndrome).
Marijuana does not cause this type of addiction, since it does not produce long-term brain changes, so that people who consume this substance do so to achieve its positive effects, not to alleviate the negative effects of consuming it.
Although it does not cause long-term changes in the brain, the brain changes it causes last for a time in the brain (approximately 2 hours). Therefore, if marijuana is used with a high frequency, the brain does not have time to recover between takes..
This is what happens to some chronic heavy users; in them the brain does not recover and the amotivational syndrome occurs. This syndrome is characterized by a loss of interest and motivation to do anything, even to practice hobbies or do something that the person enjoyed before..
The brain gets used to the changes produced by marijuana and each time higher doses of this substance are needed for the person to notice the same effects, therefore, the dose and frequency increases, and it can become a chronic consumer.
In addition to these effects, at low doses it can cause euphoria, decrease in certain pain (for example, eye pain), decrease in anxiety, accentuate sensitivity to colors and sounds, decrease in short-term memory (recent memories) , slowing of movements, stimulation of appetite and thirst, and loss of awareness of time.
At high doses it can induce panic, toxic delirium and psychosis.
The fact of consuming it smoked mixed with tobacco favors the appearance of diseases related to tobacco consumption, such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Marijuana use at an early age - such as adolescence - can increase the chances of developing psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.
However, to develop schizophrenia it is necessary to have a genetic predisposition and live in a certain environment.
Therefore, the mere fact of consuming marijuana during adolescence cannot cause schizophrenia, but it can induce it in people with a genetic predisposition and increase the chances of suffering it.
Cannabis has therapeutic properties such as anxiolytic, sedative, relaxing, analgesic and antidepressant.
It is recommended in low doses for numerous diseases that cause pain and anxiety such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic pain or some types of cancer.
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