Just for you Freddy.
The head of the UN's anti-*** office has said that *** use has turned
into a major pandemic which is causing as much harm as *** and ***.
Antonio Maria Costa also implicitly criticised countries such as Britain for
relaxing the law on the possession of ***.
"Policy reversals leave young people confused as to just how dangerous
*** is," Mr Costa said. "With ***-related health damage
increasing, it is fundamentally wrong for countries to make *** control
dependent on which party is in government. Today, the harmful
characteristics of *** are no longer that different from those of other
plant-based *** such as *** and ***."
What is ***?
The most commonly used *** drug in Britain, if not the world, also
called ***, it is produced from certain parts of the *** sativa
plant and comes in various forms - dried leaves, concentrated resin known as
hashish, or distilled oil. The strongest parts of the plant are the female
flowering tops, which are prevented from going to seed by growing them in a
pollen-free environment. Sensemillia, as this form of *** is sometimes
called, is strong because none of the plant's energy goes into making seeds,
but instead produces the psychoactive substances which cause the desired
effect.
*** grows wild in many parts of the world, from Poland and Hungary to
Afghanistan, India and China. Its dried leaves or resin have been smoked by
varied cultures over many thousands of years. *** has been used in
societies ranging from the Hindus of India, the Thracians of southern Europe
and the ancient Scythians, who liked to smoke it in a steam room. Indeed the
charred seeds of *** have been found at a Stone Age burial site in
Romania, and *** was first documented as a herbal remedy in a Chinese
pharmacy text of the first century AD.
Why do people take it?
*** is a psychoactive substance; in other words, it affects the brain.
But it also affects other parts of the body. It increases pulse rate,
decreases *** pressure, causes ***shot eyes and increases appetite.
However, it is the effects on the brain that cause the feelings of calm
euphoria and gentle elation that many users enjoy.
The drug has a mild sedative effect but the experience depends greatly on
individual mood and the social environment at the time it is taken. Some
people get the giggles and become talkative, others become subdued and
quiet - the classic symptoms of being "stoned". Many people feel less
inhibited while under the influence of ***, in much the same way as
drinking ***, which is why it is a common party drug.
What does it do to the brain?
The most active ingredient of *** is a chemical called
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It can pass across the biological barrier that
separates the brain from the ***stream, and in doing so penetrates the
central nervous system. Here, it acts on the natural proteins or receptors
that control nerve impulses passed from one part of the brain to another.
Cannabinoids such as THC act on a specific protein receptor that is widely
distributed in the brain. As a result it interferes with concentration and
thought, memory, pain perception and muscle co-ordination. THC particularly
interferes with the cerebellum - the "autopilot" of the brain - which is
important for balance, posture, and co-ordination of movement. The drug also
affects the hippocampus, which is important for the formation of memory.
These influences on the brain help to explain why *** intensifies
ordinary sensory experiences, such as eating, watching films or listening to
music. They also explain why users get a false sense of how time passes, and
why they suffer from various problems with short-term memory, poor reaction
time and general unsteadiness.
Are there any more dangerous side-effects?
This is a hotly disputed topic. *** does not produce physical
dependency, as does ***, but some people who use it regularly can become
psychologically dependent. *** smoke is carcinogenic, and so can
contribute to lung cancer, just like tobacco smoke. And regular smoking can
exacerbate existing respiratory problems, such as asthma, bronchitis and
wheezing.
A few studies have suggested that regular users may also have impaired
immune systems, and there is little doubt that driving while stoned is
dangerous - one study found that smoking *** doubles the risk of fatal
car crashes. According to a study in The Lancet, large doses of THC produce
confusion, amnesia, delusions, hallucinations, anxiety and agitation. "Such
reactions are rare, occurring after unusually heavy *** use; in most
cases they remit rapidly after abstinence from ***," it says.
The really important issue is whether *** can cause serious, long-term
problems for a person's mental health. Earlier this year the Advisory
Council on the Misuse of *** concluded that there may be a link between
*** use and the onset of psychotic illnesses, although there was
insufficient evidence to state that frequent users were more likely to
develop schizophrenia. Nevertheless, several studies have suggested that
there may well be an association between smoking *** in adolescence and
mental illness in later life - including schizophrenia.
What does the stronger version do to you?
It has been suggested that the smoking of more potent forms of ***,
known as "skunk", can result in something called *** psychosis,
although this has not been conclusively proved. Skunk is a generic name used
to describe the 100 or so varieties of *** plant that have
higher-than-average levels of THC. Skunk may also contain higher levels of
the 40 other substances in *** that are thought to be capable of having
an effect on the body.
Traditional varieties of *** have a THC content of between 2 and 4 per
cent, while some varieties of skunk can have THC levels of up to 20 per
cent. Some users say the immediate effect of smoking skunk is that they get
stoned more quickly. They also report higher levels of transient
hallucinations, which are particularly common in people who have already
taken LSD, a known hallucinogenic drug.
Skunk's potency can sometimes catch people out if they have been used to
more dilute forms of ***. As a result they can suffer from anxiety
attacks and feelings of mild paranoia. However, there is no evidence to
suggest that smoking skunk poses any new risks compared with the heavy
smoking of weaker forms of ***.
Is *** medicinal?
*** has a long history as a folk remedy, and some of its natural
constituents are reported to have therapeutic value for illnesses such as
asthma, glaucoma, mild to severe muscle spasms and pain, as well as anorexia
and mood disorders.
Is smoking *** really that bad for you?
Yes...
* There is convincing evidence to suggest a link between heavy use and
serious mental illness
* *** smoke is just as dangerous as cigarette smoke in causing lung
disease
* Driving while even mildly stoned significantly increases the risk of fatal
accidents
No...
* There is no evidence that *** causes physical dependency in the
manner of *** or ***
* Mild users of *** are not more likely to become ***ed to 'harder
***'
* Many long-term users of *** lead normal, healthy lives which they
find enhanced by recreational use of the drug
