Cannabis, the mind and society: the hash realities

Abstract

Cannabis has been known for at least 4,000 years to have profound effects on the mind--effects that have provoked dramatically divergent attitudes towards it. Some societies have regarded cannabis as a sacred boon for mankind that offers respite from the tribulations of everyday life, whereas others have demonized it as inevitably leading to 'reefer madness'. The debate between the protagonists and prohibitionists has recently been re-ignited, but unfortunately this debate continues mainly in ignorance of our new understanding of the effects of cannabis on the brain and of studies that have quantified the extent of the risks of long-term use.

Alteration to hippocampal shape in cannabis users with and without schizophrenia

“…Cannabis use is highly comorbid with schizophrenia (Koskinen et al, 2010) and considered a component cause of the disorder (D'Souza et al, 2009;Murray et al, 2007). There is growing evidence that long-term or heavy cannabis use impacts upon brain structure and function, particularly in regions known to be affected in schizophrenia, such as the hippocampus (Ashtari et al, 2011;Lorenzetti et al, 2010;Solowij and Michie, 2007;Solowij et al, 2012).…”

Access to special care dentistry, part 6. Special care dentistry services for young people

“…A number of reports have implicated heavy use of cannabis with an increased risk of psychotic ill ness, particularly schizophrenia. 37 The age at which cannabis is fi rst smoked has been linked to the risk of schizophrenia, with a young age more than doubling that risk in the ensuing 15 years and the number of times cannabis was smoked (>50 times) increasing the risk six fold. 38 In those people with a predisposition to schizophrenia, onset may be triggered by emotionally stressful events, both positive and negative.…”

Abuso e dependência de maconha: comparação entre sexos e preparação para mudanças comportamentais entre usuários que iniciam a busca por tratamento

“…Sabe-se que a maconha causa danos à saúde e importantes problemas de ordem psicossocial em seus usuários [7][8][9][10] . Porém, o alto custo para o usuário (quando se refere a tratamento particular) e para o Estado (quando se refere a serviços públicos de saúde), aliado às difi culdades encontradas para obter atendimento para dependências químicas nos serviços públicos de saúde, criam a necessidade de se implantar medidas alternativas para auxiliar na cessação do consumo de maconha.…”