Marijuana
Posted under Marijuana
Linking Psychosis to Synthetic Cannabis
There is widespread debate about the medical use of cannabis for treating chronic pain in some patients. While advocates believe that the uses of cannabis are significant for those suffering, there have been some concerns about the side effects associated with the drug. For instance, previous research has linked cannabis use with psychotic episodes, in some instances the psychosis becoming an ongoing problem. Continue Reading
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The Connection between Marijuana and Emotions
Despite marijuana’s reputation as an effective painkiller for chronic conditions, it has been connected with serious risks, such as the development of psychotic episodes as use continues and some studies have designated marijuana to be dangerous because it often leads to the use of other, more potent drugs. Studies have also linked marijuana use early in life to the development of schizophrenia later.
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Study Examines the Way Marijuana Alters Emotions
Marijuana and other drugs act on the cannabinoid receptors in the brain, but the mechanisms underlying the mood-altering effects of these drugs in the brain are mostly unknown. Steven Laviolette of the University of Western Ontario has identified an important brain pathway that is responsible for the effects of cannibinoid drugs on the brain’s processing of emotional information. These findings could also help explain the possible association between marijuana use and schizophrenia.
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DEA Announces Ban on Fake Marijuana
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued its emergency scheduling authority to control the five chemicals used to make “fake pot” products (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol) in an effort to prevent what it describes as an “imminent threat to public health and safety.” Because these chemicals—used in such brand name products as “K2,” “Spice,” “Red X Dawn,” and “Blaze”—have not been approved by the FDA for human consumption and no oversight of their manufacturing process is currently in place, the DEA has placed a 12-month ban on the chemicals so it and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can investigate whether the synthetic chemicals should be permanently controlled.
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Marijuana May Trigger Cancer Growth
Marijuana is a hotly debated drug. While many people misuse it for recreational purposes, others argue its useful purpose as a pain reliever. Its use is often watched as an initiation into other types of drug abuse or alcohol dependence. A new study examining the effects of marijuana have found that smoking marijuana may trigger a suppression of the body’s immune system. Published in the European Journal of Immunology, the study shows why the decreased functioning of the immune system can result in marijuana users being more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections.
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More Teens Experimenting With Marijuana, and Doing it Sooner
The current news concerning marijuana and young people isn’t exactly positive. A National Survey on Drug Use and Health report said that not only are more adolescents using the drug, they’re starting at an even younger age.
Experts say the brain capacity of young teens is still actively developing until they reach young adulthood, so getting an early start with marijuana could mean developmental programs, lessened motor skills and even sicknesses of the respiratory system for years down the road.
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Long-Term Marijuana Use Raises Risk of Psychotic Episodes
Young people who smoke marijuana for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations, or delusions than people who have never used the drug, scientists said on Monday.
Posted under Marijuana
Marijuana as a Gateway Drug
Marijuana is commonly referred to as a gateway drug. Some research has been used to support marijuana as a type of stepping stone to more dangerous drug choices (Morral, McCaffrey & Paddock, 2002). This information supports the “gateway hypothesis,” which argues that substance abuse is triggered by a progression of events that begins with use of an illegal substance such as alcohol or tobacco and then moves on to marijuana and then cocaine or another illicit drug.
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Researchers Find Spice Gold to be Very Addictive
Spice Gold is a designed drug that has been used by some as a complement to or substitution for marijuana. Now, a clinical report from Dresden offers study justification for the assumption that the drug is strongly addictive.
Science Daily issued a report examining a current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. Ulrich S. Zimmerman from the Dresden Technical University and his colleagues describe a young man who developed physical withdrawal symptoms after the regular consumption of Spice Gold. These symptoms were also accompanied by a dependence syndrome. Continue Reading
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