A country has legalized marijuana! Auditory hallucinations, intellectual disabilities...soft drugs are no joke!

Experts in this article:

Hu Houxiang, Chief Physician, Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Professor, Doctor of Medicine, Master Supervisor

Tan Xin, Master's student at North Sichuan Medical College

It is called a "soft drug", banned in some places, legalized in some countries, and its use has always been controversial. Today we are talking about marijuana.

According to media reports, Thailand recently announced that it would remove marijuana from the drug control list, which means that marijuana has been "legalized" in the country, making Thailand the first country in Asia to legalize marijuana.

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So is marijuana a drug? What harm does it cause to the human body? Read on.

What is marijuana?

Cannabis is an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Cannabis in the family Cannabaceae. It was first classified as Urticaceae and later as Moraceae. Modern cannabis refers more to the extract of cannabis plants, which has a complex composition, mainly including plant-like substances, flavonoids, terpenes, hydrocarbons, non-cyclic macrophenols, alkaloids, silver citrate and cyclic cannabinol.

Hemp became one of the species actively cultivated by early humans due to its high yield and nutritious seeds, the ability of its inflorescences and leaves to secrete strong-smelling resins, and the ability of its phloem to produce high-quality fiber through simple processing.

my country's traditional classification of cannabis is based on THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content and use, dividing cannabis into industrial hemp and medical hemp.

Industrial hemp, which requires THC0.3%, is generally a short plant with a large production of flowers and leaves. It is generally regarded as drug marijuana or narcotics. Its private production and use are strictly prohibited in my country.

Are soft drugs really “soft” in terms of toxicity?

Although marijuana is called a "soft drug", its drug properties are certain, and it has a particularly serious impact on the cognitive behavior of growing adolescents: in addition to symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, panic, and paranoia, it can also cause abnormalities in short-term memory and attention, judgment, and motor coordination. Some can also induce positive symptoms of mental illness, such as auditory hallucinations and persecution delusions. Long-term use of marijuana before the age of 18 will lead to irreversible intellectual, attention, and memory disorders, which will not improve even if you stop using it later.

In many countries and regions, long-term marijuana users often abuse other substances, such as tobacco and alcohol, which often puts marijuana users into a vicious cycle - the effects of smoking marijuana interfere with normal life, and the unsatisfactory life will induce them to smoke again. People who have long-term contact with marijuana may even use heroin and cocaine. Therefore, marijuana is also called an induction drug.

In the 1960s, due to the problem of cannabis abuse worldwide, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 included cannabis in the control list, prohibiting activities such as cannabis cultivation, production and sale. Cannabis has become a drug that is generally strictly prohibited by the international community.

The attitudes of countries around the world towards marijuana are divided into three modes: legal, non-criminal, and illegal. At present, the attitude towards marijuana being illegal is still the mainstream, so it is considered a drug by most countries and is severely cracked down on.

At the same time, the black industry of marijuana is also developing. Since the 1990s, the concentration of THC in drug marijuana has tripled, and some enhanced versions with higher THC concentrations have appeared. While increasing the power of drugs, the risk of adverse reactions and inducing mental illness has also doubled.

After Colorado introduced medical marijuana in 2010, related incidents such as children's accidental ingestion, drug-related driving, and cross-regional drug trafficking have increased year by year, seriously affecting regional economic stability and social stability.

At present, there are calls in my country to classify industrial hemp into a new category of "medical marijuana" under the legal standard of THC < 0.3%, mainly focusing on the medicinal value of CBD in anti-epilepsy, treatment of mental disorders, relief of insomnia and anxiety, anti-inflammatory, analgesia, etc. However, there are also doubts that these research results lack strong evidence and some of the effects are not lacking in safe alternative drugs. Moreover, its long-term safety has not been verified, so medical marijuana is still controversial.

What effects does marijuana have on the human body?

As a psychoactive substance, cannabis extract can speed up the heartbeat, lower blood pressure, and increase appetite in a short period of time when taken in a certain amount, making people extremely excited, happy, and talkative. But short-term happiness also comes at a price - THC, the main ingredient of cannabis hallucinogenic addiction, will penetrate into the central nervous system and damage brain areas related to memory, coordination, and pain. And cannabis, like other drugs, is drug-resistant. Users can only maintain the previous effects by continuously increasing their intake. Inevitably, the adverse effects on the human body will gradually increase.

When long-term, heavy marijuana users want to quit their addiction, they will suffer both psychologically and physically, and experience a series of withdrawal reactions, including craving for marijuana, irritability, extreme emotions, loss of appetite, sudden weight loss, difficulty sleeping, and possible adverse reactions such as sweating, tremors, and diarrhea.

In my country, illegal and criminal acts involving cannabis include:

Smoking marijuana;

Illegal cultivation of raw cannabis plants;

Smuggling, trafficking, transporting, and manufacturing marijuana;

illegal possession of marijuana;

Illegal sale, transportation, carrying, or possession of uninactivated cannabis plant seeds or seedlings;

Allowing others to smoke marijuana;

Introducing the sale and purchase of marijuana;

Forcing, enticing, instigating, or deceiving others to smoke marijuana;

providing cannabis to another person;

Illegal supply of narcotic drugs cannabis and cannabis resins, extracts and tinctures, and psychotropic drugs tetrahydrocannabinol;

Violating state regulations, causing marijuana or marijuana plants to flow into illegal channels;

Harboring criminals who smuggle, sell, transport, and manufacture marijuana;

Contain, transfer or conceal marijuana or property obtained through crime.

In addition, general drug-related crimes such as money laundering, teaching criminal methods, tipping off, and obstructing inspections involving marijuana are also included. When traveling and buying local products, be careful to see whether they contain THC, CBD-related ingredients and additives to avoid inadvertently breaking the law and bringing drugs into the country.

Drugs are very harmful to the body

Reminder

Stay away from drugs

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