Cannabis (marijuana) Flashcards
What are the effects of smoking cannabis?
vary from person to person.
The effects of a small to moderate amount (after 20–180 mins) include:
feeling of well-being and relaxation
decreased inhibitions
woozy, floating feeling
lethargy, sedation and sleepiness
talkativeness and laughing a lot
red nose, red gritty eyes and dry mouth
unusual perception of sounds and colour
increased appetite—sometimes nausea
loss of concentration
looking ‘spaced out’ or drunk
lack of coordination with increased risk of accidents
Long-term use and dependence
The influence of ‘pot’ has a severe effect on the personality and drive of the user.
They lose their energy, initiative and enterprise.
They become bored, inert, apathetic and careless.
A serious effect of smoking pot is loss of memory.
Some serious problems include:
- anxiety
- respiratory disease (more potent than nicotine)
- often prelude to taking hard drugs
- becoming psychotic (resembling schizophrenia): the drug appears to unmask an underlying psychosis
- paranoia, esp. with a new form called ‘mad weed’
Withdrawal
Sudden withdrawal produces;
- insomnia
- nausea
- depression
- night sweats
- myalgia
- irritability
- maybe anger and aggression.
Effects peak in 2–3 days, last 7 days.
Treat with supportive therapy and diazepam if problematic.
Management
CBT may be effective in treatment of dependence.
The best treatment is prevention.
People should either not use it or limit it to experimentation.
If it is used, pt should be prepared to ‘sleep it off’ and not drive.
No evidence for effective pharmacological treatment of cannabis withdrawal or relapse prevention.
Be aware of new synthetic agents e.g. ‘Kronic’, ‘Kush’.
