The effects of marijuana on health - Wired.it

Cannabis has many therapeutic uses, but the abuse is addictive and can cause symptoms persist, especially in younger people. That’s when a joint can hurt us, and when it is harmless

Posted

January 8, 2014

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Since January of this year the purchase and consumption of marijuana have become legal in Colorado , not only for therapeutic purposes but also for recreational . In the United States promises a chain diffusion of the liberalization of cannabis , starting from the state of Washington . In South America, the Uruguayan Senate less than a month ago voted to legalize the sale of cannabis, with a law that will come into force in just over three months (following a map of how to proceed in the world for the legalization of marijuana).

in Italy has reopened the debate on the possible liberalization of canes . The comparison is focused mainly on economic and political aspects, but what are the effects of marijuana on human health? We talked with Walter Fratta , professor of pharmacology at the University of Cagliari, who described cannabis as a substance “ two souls, one positive and one negative “.

Positive effects and therapeutic uses
The best known active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC), isolated for the first time in Israel in 1964 and considered to be the founder of the family of phytocannabinoids. “ From a medical point of view there is much research on the potential terapeuitche of the active ingredient of cannabis. A biomedical level for some years there is evidence to suggest that THC is an excellent analgesic and can be used to alleviate some forms of pain. In particular, it is used for terminal patients when other analgesics are no longer effective “, describes Fratta. In world trade are medicines based on cannabis derivatives and components: among these is Sativex is already present in eleven countries, including even Italy, which has specific instructions for multiple sclerosis.

“ Other studies concerning the effects of neuro-protective degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, but have not yet been produced drugs ,” continues Fratta. We can then consider the cannabis as a therapeutic substance? “Only controlled medical use, and only in specific cases, can benefit from the clinical point of view. The uncontrolled use and abuse do not lead to any benefit “, says pharmacologist. Cannabis, in other words, may be regarded as a medicine only if it is used as such.

Already

by traditional medicine it is known that marijuana stimulates the appetite (the so-called munchies ), and this is used for all forms of appetite in terminally ill patients or for those who lose appetite due to chemotherapy. “ Are under different pre-clinical animal appetite for other diseases such as anorexia and bulimia. There are clinical publications of Dr. Monteleone who have verified that these disorders act on the same receptors on which it acts cannabis , “Fratta said:” There are, however, to date, specific drugs approved, because there are still studies indicating their effectiveness, the non-toxicity and lack of side effects. If all goes well, we’ll have to wait a few years before you see them on the shelves “. Assuming that – in the meantime – some multinational pharmaceutical company decides to invest on these medicines.

long-term adverse effects
“ It should be said that when you smoke cannabis you breathe at the same time many other substances ,” says pharmacologist. The marijuana is a cane what nicotine is for a cigarette. “ That said, the main negative effect is addiction. Although cannabis is considered a soft drug than cocaine and heroin, it is a substance that leads to abuse. Regular use creates a vicious cycle that leads to excessive use resulting in toxicity to the body “.

But there are particularly at risk? “ Extensive studies on adolescents have highlighted the dangers of cannabis abuse especially in the very young, who are very sensitive to the effects on the central nervous system, with damage that in some cases are even in adulthood. In particular was a correlation between marijuana use and the development of psychotic disorders or schizophrenia in adulthood, but only for those with a predisposition. Who is predisposed can develop diseases in adulthood, after the period of consumption “. The reason, explains Fratta, is that the adolescent brain has not yet reached full maturity , and the use of cannabis may alter the structure and functions . “ This does not mean that if you smoke a joint you become schizophrenic, but that there is a segment of the population already predisposed to see that trigger these diseases “.

youth abuse of marijuana has enormous world-wide: the latest statistics conducted in the United States 30% of the boys in age from middle school (11-14 years old) start smoking marijuana, with no differences between males and females.

What happens instead in the case of the greatest? “ An adult who, from time to time, becomes a joint, does not come at a greater risk than a couple of cigarettes or liquor “. The cannabis acts by imitating certain substances that have naturally in the brain, in a manner similar to morphine and heroin mimic endorphins . “But an account is a normal physiological impact, and it is quite another when we hit the same nerve centers disproportionately, with an injection of heroin as well as an abuse of cannabis. Physiologically, it is like an atomic bomb download where you usually throw dots “. The chronic use, however, can lead to side effects from organic and psychic cannabis intoxication, including for example the symptoms of the syndrome amotivational, or lack of interest and apathy.

effects of occasional use (and when you can define: drinker )
” Although there is a real dosage, when it comes to occasional use means an assumption does not continue over time. If you smoke a joint on Saturday night, it is important not to continue then on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday … you can cause dependency , “says pharmacologist. The negative effects are not so much caused by the quantity, but rather from ‘ continued use . At least until 2010, inter alia, no cases of fatal overdose of cannabis has never been registered. “ The occasional use of a joint, as well as a glass of whiskey, there has never been associated with specific diseases. Much more dangerous are the so-called spice drugs, based on powerful synthetic cannabinoids , “explains Fratta.

The main danger for occasional users, Fratta said, comes from the distortion of perception of space and time : “If you put driving under the acute effect of cannabis, we not be able to stop at a red light. Normally activates an unconscious mechanism that makes us slow down and brake choosing good times and distances, but under the influence of marijuana this mechanism does not work, despite the reflexes are normal and never lose consciousness “. Simply not be able to dose braking because we would have a wrong perception of the distance that separates us from the traffic lights.