Cannabis as a gateway drug 686
by Admin
Posted on 29-09-2023 03:54 PM
See also: gateway drug effect
the gateway hypothesis
states
that cannabis use increases the probability of trying "harder" drugs.
The hypothesis has been hotly debated as it is regarded by some as the primary rationale for the united states prohibition on cannabis use. A pew research center poll found that political opposition to marijuana use was significantly associated with concerns about the health effects and whether legalization would increase cannabis use by children. Some studies state that while there is no proof for the gateway hypothesis, young cannabis users should still be considered as a risk group for intervention programs.
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There are too many unanswered questions to make definitive claims about whether cannabis-derived products are safe or not, though the fda says it’s currently working to gather more
information
about the safety of cannabis use. The texas medical association has also called for more comprehensive study about the safety of cannabis-derived products and their efficacy as a medical treatment.
The mayo clinic, a medical nonprofit, writes that medical marijuana and cbd products are generally safe and well tolerated, and there is some evidence to show that it may treat the symptoms of specific diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. However, any cannabis-derived products besides epidiolex, marinol, syndros or cesamet are not fda-approved or evaluated to treat any disease or condition.
Laced cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids
The use of marijuana for medical purposes dates back possibly as far as 5,000 years. ( 5 ) in the united states, over the last few decades, there has been an increase in the acceptability of using marijuana to treat a wide variety of medical conditions. Because cannabinoids affect physical and mental processes, and it’s thought that they may not produce the adverse effects of prescription drugs, people have found marijuana useful in treating pain, nausea, and loss of appetite related to cancer, aids, and other illnesses. Marijuana has proved so beneficial in those cases that there are now a handful of food and drug administration (fda)-approved prescription drugs that contain cannabis or synthetic cannabis.
In the united states, the controlled substances act (csa) of 1990 classifies marijuana as a schedule i substance, which states it has no approved medical use and a high potential for abuse. This federal definition is highly controversial, and can limit marijuana's availability for clinical research studies. However, many us states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical use, recreational use, or have decriminalized possession. Prescription medicines containing synthetic cannabinoids (thc) are available. Dronabinol, a pharmaceutical form of thc, and nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, are approved by the fda to treat certain conditions. Epidiolex (cannabidiol), also called cbd, is a cannabinoid product approved by the fda in june 2018.
People do this by mixing it into cakes (hash brownies), tea, yoghurt or sweets (gummies/lollipops). The amount of cannabis in these products can vary greatly and sometimes – especially in sweets – other harmful drugs (particularly synthetic cannabinoids ) are added or used instead. The effects of consuming edibles are unpredictable and it can be very easy to accidentally take a larger dose than you wanted to.
Spice (which also goes by many other names including k2, black mamba, fake weed or synthetic cannabis) is a dangerous synthetic (man-made) drug. It is typically made of synthetic cannabinoids that are sprayed on or combined with herbs and plant materials. The resulting product looks like marijuana, but the chemicals in spice can have stronger, potentially more hazardous, effects.
What the research says
Research on the use of marijuana for specific conditions shows: glaucoma. Marijuana might reduce the pressure in the eye caused by this eye condition. However, the effect appears to last only a few hours. Some findings indicate that marijuana may decrease blood flow to the optic nerve, increasing the risk for vision loss in people with glaucoma. Nausea and vomiting associated with cancer treatment. Research has shown that an active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (thc), effectively reduces nausea and vomiting in people undergoing chemotherapy. Pain. Marijuana use might reduce the intensity of shooting or burning pain often due to nerve damage (neuropathic pain) caused by hiv, diabetes and other conditions.