Pills, Potions, Drugs and Alcohol

Marijuana

Acknowledgment:
The material in this section has been sourced from NSW Health.

What is marijuana?

Marijuana is the most common illegal drug used in Australia.

It comes from dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis sativa plant. It may also be known as cannabis, pot, grass, joints, roaches, hashish (hash), dope, mull, ganja, skunk, reefer or weed.

The ingredient that makes the user stoned or high is called THC. This chemical can affect a user's mood and the way they see and feel things.

How is marijuana used?

The drug is most commonly smoked in cigarettes, pipes and water pipes (bongs). It is also eaten (in cakes, cookies etc.) however this is less common. The effect is more immediate when smoked. Most cannabis smokers mix tobacco with it to cool it down and make it last longer.

How does THC affect you?

When marijuana is smoked, THC goes quickly into the blood through the lungs. It then goes to the brain and this is when the 'high' is felt. This can happen within a few minutes and can last up to five hours.

When marijuana is eaten, THC is absorbed more slowly into the blood, as it has to pass through the stomach and intestine. It can take up to one hour to experience the 'high' effects and these can last up to 12 hours.

THC is absorbed quickly into body fat. It is then released very slowly back into the blood. It can take up to one month for a single dose of THC to fully leave the body.

'What hashish gives with one hand it takes away with the other: that is to say, it gives the power of imagination and takes away the ability to profit by it.'
Baudelaire 1860 (French poet).

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Effects

The effects of marijuana will depend on:

• How much you take
• How strong the marijuana is
• How the marijuana is taken (joint, bong, food)
• Your size, weight, health
• Your mood
• Your experience with marijuana
• Whether marijuana is taken with other drugs
• Whether you are alone or with other people, at home or at a party.

Immediate effects

If you have a small amount of marijuana, the effects can last up to five hours.
You may:

• Feel unusually well or happy
• Do or say things you normally wouldn't
• Talk and laugh more than usual
• Have bad balance and coordination
• Find it hard to concentrate
• Feel hungry
• Have a faster heart rate
• Have red eyes
• Focus on one particular thing and ignore all other things
• These effects usually lead to feelings of slowing down and sleepiness.

If you take a large amount of marijuana, you may:

• Feel confused, be restless, feel excited
• See or hear things which are not there
• Feel anxious or panicky
• Feel distant or separate from reality.

Marijuana can also cause problems with:

• Remembering things
• Thinking clearly
• Movement
• Ability to do things like drive or operate machines.

These symptoms usually disappear when the effects of marijuana wear off.

Long-term effects

If you take marijuana regularly over a long period of time then you may experience the following health problems

• An increase in the risk of getting bronchitis, lung cancer and other diseases of the respiratory system
• A decrease in motivation. A decrease in concentration, memory and ability to learn new things
• A decrease in sex drive
• A decrease in sperm-count in men
• Irregular menstrual cycles in women
• Some people may have adverse psychological effects. This is more likely if the person already has a mental illness or is subject to anxiety or panic attacks.

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Why do people use marijuana?

• Relaxation
• Euphoria
• Peer pressure.

But did you know that many of the 'benefits' or reasons for using it may cease or diminish with regular or heavy use. If you are smoking regularly, then you may be at risk of not just the long and short term effects, but a whole range of health, psychological, social and legal problems.

Can marijuana affect your health?

Yes, it can affect your health. There is plenty of documented evidence about the danger associated with smoking marijuana and lung damage. The active ingredient in Marijuana, THC, does not cause cancer but the smoke inhaled from a joint or water bong contains more carcinogens, tar and carbon monoxide than cigarette smoke.

One joint or three cones of a bong is equivalent to smoking five cigarettes.

Health risks of using marijuana

Increased risk in developing:

• Bronchitis
• Cancer of the lung, throat, mouth and tongue
• Emphysema and other respiratory diseases.

Symptoms of overuse

• Fatigue
• Lack of coordination
• Paranoia
• Psychosis (highly distorted contact with reality).

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Cannabis (marijuana) dependency:

Is marijuana addictive?

Marijuana does not have a reputation as a drug of dependence but physical dependency on Marijuana can develop if the person is using it regularly. Dependency on any drug occurs when the user experiences withdrawal symptoms if they stop or cut down usage.

Cannabis dependency is associated with developing a craving for the drug, tolerance to its effects and mild physical withdrawal symptoms consisting of insomnia, agitation, irritability, depression, tremors, headaches, anxiety, nausea, chills and sweating. For the most part these withdrawal symptoms last for 3-7 days once use has stopped, although some people have reported symptoms lasting up to a month.

Withdrawal symptoms

Most people are likely to experience some degree of withdrawal symptoms when quitting, however many people have few if any physical symptoms. The psychological symptoms are more prominent with cannabis withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms include:

• Insomnia
• Hypoactivity
• Sometimes decreased appetite
• Agitation
• Irritability
• Depression
• Tremors, headaches
• Anxiety
• Chills and sweating.

Does marijuana use lead to other drug use?

Mixing Marijuana with other drugs can be dangerous, as the effects of the marijuana can become stronger. There is no evidence that Marijuana use leads to the use of other drugs. Regular users are more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.

Does marijuana cause mental illness?

There is no evidence to suggest that cannabis itself causes mental illness. However, if a person has an underlying mental illness, anxiety or depression, it is far more likely to make these feelings worse by using Marijuana.

There is evidence that Marijuana can trigger psychotic episodes. If a person is predisposed to mental illness (has a family history of schizophrenia or other mental illness) it is recommended that they do not use Marijuana.

Use of THC (cannabinoids) for chronic pain

There is some limited experimental evidence that suggests cannabinoids may have a therapeutic effectiveness in various chronic pain states, (post-operative pain, chronic pain associated with cancer and Multiple Sclerosis).

There is an urgent need to run well-controlled clinical trials to establish the value of natural and synthetic cannabinoids and also to develop delivery systems such as inhalation devices for patients to get controlled doses from non-smoked rapid-onset delivery systems that will minimise overdose side effects.

In many parts of the world (not Australia) an oral form of THC (dronabinol) is available for clinical use.

Source: Department of Pharmacology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW. Christopher W Vaughan, PhD, RD Wright Research Fellow; Macdonald J Christie, PhD BSc(Hons), Head of Department and Medical Foundation Fellow.

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Where can I go for help?

• Quit smoking marijuana - groups are available in some drug and alcohol agencies. These groups are like quit smoking programs. Phone the telephone counselling service listed in your phone book in your state or territory for more information.
• Counselling for users, concerned relatives and friends - is available in some alcohol and other drug agencies, hospitals, community health centres and private clinics. Phone the telephone counselling service listed in your phone book in your state or territory for more information.

On the web

• http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/.../Alcohol_and_other_drugs.html
• http://notes.med.unsw.edu.au/ndarc.nsf/website/Publications.resources.quitting

Further reading

• Mulling it over - is a harm reduction booklet available from the Manly Drug Education and Counselling Centre (MDECC)
  91 Pittwater Road
  Manly NSW 2095
  Phone: (02) 9977 0711
• A guide to quitting marijuana - is a self help booklet available from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) in Sydney.
• What's the deal on quitting? - A do it yourself guide - available from NDARC.
• Quitting? Cannabis - A free book that can be used as self help or with a counsellor - available from NDARC. For more information, contact:
  
  Resource Officer NDARC
  PO Box 21
  Randwick NSW 2031
  Phone: (02) 9398 9333
  Fax: (02) 9399 7143

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