Effects Of Cannabis Addiction
How does cannabis addiction work?
Cannabis addiction is a strong dependence on the drug. The person obsesses about it, spends a lot of time using it, and is preoccupied with getting high. They may think about the next time they will use it, worry about not having enough money to buy more or where to find it; and eventually do anything just for a high.
What are the effects of cannabis addiction?
The person may have problems with school or work performance, family life, or social relationships. They may neglect family, friends, and responsibilities, while they are strongly focused on getting high. They may start stealing or lying to get the drug. They may do risky or dangerous things just to get a high such as driving while high; using dirty needles; or even having unprotected sex. Eventually, these toxic effects of cannabis addiction can have a huge impact on the person's emotional and physical health and well-being as it puts them at greater risk for other conditions such as: anxiety & panic attacks - depression - bipolar disorders - schizophrenia - suicidal tendencies (1)
The negative effects of cannabis addiction typically lasts much longer than the pleasurable effects. A person addicted to cannabis will try to get high, even if they know it is dangerous to do so or illness related causes them pain. When they are smoking or using all they can think about is getting a high and the next time.
Much of this dependence may be caused by past use of something else. There is a strong connection between staying substance dependant and other addictive drugs in the addict's history such as alcohol, tobacco, and cocaine. (2-3) This is often referred to as an "addictive personality disorder" and it has been found that almost half of all addicts start with something else before moving on to cannabis. (4)
The effects of cannabis addiction increase as more time passes. The person starts to crave a hit of the drug, have withdrawal symptoms if they do not get it, and may start to experience depression and other dangerous health conditions as a response to their drug use. (5)
The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that controls executive functions such as judgment, decision-making, planning, and problem solving. The lower part of the frontal lobe contains reward circuits that are activated by the feel-good chemicals produced when cannabis is smoked. These circuits give pleasure and cause users to want more of the drug over time. (6)
This "feel good" feeling is often intense at first but wears off quickly causing users to crave more as they realize how good it feels when they are high. This is part of the reason why users can develop an addiction to the drug.
As the body builds up tolerance to cannabis, larger amounts are required to feel its 'normal' effect and eventually users may find that they have to take a large amount for each high. This increase in cannabis tolerance means that over time, more drug is taken into their system than before, ultimately building up more toxicity and putting the user at greater risk for developing health conditions relating to overuse of the drug.
Over time, it can become difficult to function normally without coming down from a high from cannabis. Because of these effects of cannabis addiction building up in the body they begin to crave it at first chance they get. Even when they are not high, thoughts of getting to be high again may cause withdrawal and by overusing the drug a person can develop cannabis use disorder. (7)
Cannabis addiction is a chronic disease that has many negative effects on the body with physical, psychological and social/professional complications. Drug addiction is often a covert disease. In other words, the person may use the drug socially or publicly but then deny any addiction problems when in private. Some of these denial tactics are: denial - rationalization - projections that other people do not have what they have (2-3)
It is important to understand cannabis addiction because it has serious consequences for personal, family and social life including treatment. (2)
(1) Walter S. Brown and Lynn R. Webster. Cannabis Addiction . In: Schottenfeld, R.S., Fraenkel, G., and Grossman, H. (Eds). Drug abuse and addiction: a comprehensive guidebook . Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, pp.399-408, 2008
(2) Daniel L. Goldberg and Daniel F. McCaffrey The Pathophysiology of Drug Abuse : Implications for Treatment , Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 43 Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Rockville, MD: Management of Substance Abuse: An Integrated Pharmacotherapy Approach , 2002
(3) Heather Fraser. Cannabis Use Disorders and the Risk for other Substance Use Disorders . In: Graham, D.S., and Stephens, P. "Cannabis Use", National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Report Series . Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, p.70-129, 2005
(4) Martin Wiradjuri Robinson & Nicola K Whealin Poly Drug Use Amongst Indigenous People in NSW : Age at First Drink or Cannabis Use as Predictors for Other Drug Use . In: Gorman D., Stephens P. Cannabis Market Research London : National Drug Strategy Research Centre, 2010
(5) Geoff Egan. Cannabis and your health . In: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Review). Oxford: Update Software, 2010
(6) Wikipedia (2013). Frontal Cortical Dopamine Transporter Mutations . Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontal_cortical_dopamine_transporter-linked_mutation on 8th May 2013
(7) Reefer Madness . Retrieved from: http://www.reefermadness.org/ on 8th May 2013
(8) Fact Sheet: Cannabis . Retrieved from: http://www.drugfree.org/intervention-programs/fact-sheets on 8th May 2013
(9) Gupta RK., MD. Medical Cannabis . In: Kandel D., Kelsey P., and Jessell T. (Eds). Principles of Neural Science , 5th Ed . New York, NY: McGraw Hill Medical, pp.1206-1207, 1999
(10) Miguel Andrade Jr., MD et al . Marijuana Smoking and Oral Potency . In: Kandel D., Kelsey P., and Jessell T. (Eds). Principles of Neural Science , 5th Ed . New York, NY: McGraw Hill Medical, pp.1218-1220, 1999
(11) Shahab U, Tsezotu‐Plasse M Analysis of the Effects of Cannabinoids on Brain Chemicals . In: Kandel D., Kelsey P., and Jessell T. (Eds). Principles of Neural Science , 5th Ed . New York, NY: McGraw Hill Medical, pp. 1231-1234, 1999
(12) Dr. Christian Thurstone et al .
Conclusion
For a drug to be classified as an illegal and addictive substance, research has to show there is a real health risk and impairment in brain function. We have shown that there is evidence that cannabis may cause long term brain damage by damaging the hippocampus and causing memory problems. The article also explains how cannabis can lead to addiction and why people who smoke it can develop mental health issues as well as physical ones.
Overall, we feel this article has shown that consuming cannabis may harm the brain in the long run, it is certainly not worth consuming a drug, especially one which can cause such damage.
References:
Kandel D., Kelsey P., and Jessell T., Eds. Principles of Neural Science . 5th ed .