Cannabis: Are students making a hash of their mental health?
Liam Curran tells all about the truth behind Cannabis usage.
For some students smoking cannabis comes as naturally as sleeping, or eating … ironically. It is half the reason it is said you are never 200ft from a Subway at any one time in Bristol. However, with recent developments, especially in North America the arguments and rhetoric surrounding cannabis usage is becoming far more developed.
At the forefront of the cannabis debate is the effect it can have on the brain.
With four states already allowing the recreational use and sale of cannabis, five on the ballot for November, three after and the whole of Canada aiming to legalise marijuana by spring next year it is an unavoidable subject. If the US truly wants to stay weed-free, Drumpf ought to move that wall a bit further north.
At the forefront of the cannabis debate is the effect it can have on the brain. While every user’s experience is different it is important not to dismiss or promote these claims out right. We need to impartially look at the facts on a statistical level and explore the reality on a personal level.
At the tender age of nineteen I have had a plethora of friends quitting the drug citing reasons from simple lethargy to symptoms of psychosis. I have also had older, veteran users tell me that weed today is ‘much stronger’.
Last year Channel 4 aired a live debate about cannabis: ‘Drugs Live: Cannabis on Trial’. What was significant about this debate is the comparison they drew between skunk and hash. In the last fifteen years skunk has taken over a majority of the illegal cannabis market as it offers a more intense high and favoured by dealers everywhere.
There are two psychoactive ingredients in cannabis, THC and CBD. In short, THC turns off brain receptors and creates a strong haze in the mind and body and CBD turns them back and can prevent many of the psychological risks involved with getting high.
Today’s potent bud is a relatively modern form of cannabis. Essentially the warm and the somewhat harm-free essence of pot culture was built on a different kind of drug.
Skunk, unlike hash and less potent more natural strains of weed, contains hardly any CBD and very high doses of THC. This allows the user to get higher than my student overdraft. But, it also comes with certain risks as more modern scientific studies are beginning to show.
When we think about the history of stoner culture, whether it is Bob Marley, the Beatles or Cheech and Chong, they were smoking primarily hash or bush weed. Today’s potent bud is a relatively modern form of cannabis. Essentially the warm and the somewhat harm-free essence of pot culture was built on a different kind of drug.
In an interview with Jane Baker, a member of the Bristol student health service, some interesting light was shed on issues students have had with weed over the years.
The adverse effects of cannabis range from “paranoia, depression, a lack of motivation, concentration and energy and increasingly, dependence.” What was interesting, and is backed up by a range of scientific studies, is that more people seem to be coming forward with issues relating to cannabis.
Although Baker acknowledges the fact more students are seeking help, she admits it is difficult to tell whether or not the situation is “getting worse or if there are simply more coming forward.” Something she would like to stress is that all interactions with the student counselling service are “strictly confidential” and that no student should worry about legal or any other kind of punishment or penalisation if they seek guidance in relation to cannabis or any other substance.
In hoping to find more answers Epigram spoke to Kaythrn Talboy, who works with Bristol ROADS, a programme set up to help those suffering with drug problems in Bristol.
“The main problems are some form of dependency which can lead to a gradual degradation of life. When people are high for too long other aspects of their life can fall into decline”, she says.
She also recognizes that more people are coming forward with issues relating to cannabis but claims “there has also been a growth in the amount of funding and expansion of organisations trying to reach people with these problems. We do recognise that cannabis has generally grown in strength and so this most likely is another reason for the increase in people being seen for help.”
One main concern many people have with weed is the potential it can lead to other, harder drug use. Talboy claims that “[at ROADS] we don’t really use the term gateway drug anymore. We recognize that everybody is on their own personal journey and will use whatever substance for whatever reason in that time and place for a person’s life.”
Attempting to read scientific studies is difficult as you often find contradictions between papers and studies. Some say cannabis has a causal link to schizophrenia, others don’t. Some say cannabis is linked to depression, others don’t. It can all be confusing. The legal status of cannabis undoubtedly causes complications in its study.
One paper however, from the University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales, Australia, which draws upon evidence of an incredibly wide range of peer reviewed studies concluded that ‘the public health burden of cannabis use is probably modest compared with that of alcohol, tobacco, and other illicit drugs.’
Most importantly if you feel as if cannabis is becoming an issue for your mental well-being the student health service is always at your disposal.Some consensus has been reached however that the highly potent skunk strains can have a greater psychological impact than less potent strains and hash; this essentially was the crux of the Channel 4 debate. Some consensus has been reached that the chronic use (consumption four to five times a day for a period over three years) can leads to an average five times risk of psychosis. None such risk was found with hash.
For many students, cannabis may be a small if not irrelevant part of their university experience and future life. But for many and millions of Britons it forms a very influential part of their reality. A greater understanding of this reality will lead eventually to a fundamentally more responsible society.
Most importantly if you feel as if cannabis is becoming an issue for your mental well-being the student health service is always at your disposal.
Featured image: Ander Burdain
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