Cannabis

In short

Hash and weed come from a plant with the Latin name Cannabis Sativa or, in short, cannabis.

Hash and weed are usually mixed with tobacco and then, using one or more rolling papers, rolled into the form of a cigarette or so-called joint. The smoking of a joint is called ‘getting high’ in English. There are people who put hash or weed in their food, usually in the form of so-called ‘space cake.’ It can be made like tea or boiled in milk (so called herb milk).

• Addictive? With intensive use, physical dependence can occur. Psychological dependence can also occur.
• Increasingly more needed for the same effect? No.
• Short-term effects: Relaxing, intensifies emotion, reduces concentration, delays reaction times, changes sensory perceptions. Higher dosages can lead to anxiety, panic and sometimes to loss of consciousness.
• Long-term effects: Damage to the respiratory organs, cancer (in cases of smoking).
• Important: When combined with alcohol, the effects of the alcohol are intensified. Risk of overdosis when put in food such as space cake.
  

What is it?

Hash and weed come from a plant with the Latin name Cannabis Sativa or, in short, cannabis. When you dry the female flower tops and crumble these, the result is marijuana. Marijuana has a greenish brown colour and is typically referred to as ‘weed.’

When you compress the resin of the plant into blocks or slices, the result is hash. The colour of hash varies from light brown to black. Via special processing, a strongly concentrated substance can be extracted from the plant, namely: hash oil.

Weed, hash and hash oil exude a very characteristic scent. Those who have used these substances on even a single occasion will immediately recognize the scent in the future.

Where does it come from?

Cannabis is put to use in various manners. In most parts of the world, it is just a plant. The fibres of the plant were used more than 12,000 years ago to make rope and clothing. Cannabis is also planted by farmers as a windbreak. Some 5000 years ago in China, it was also discovered that the plant has healing properties. THC, or the active compound in hash and weed, is also put to use for medicinal purposes today; it is used, for example, to counteract the effects of chemotherapy. In the 1930s, cannabis was banned in the USA. Other countries followed. In 60s and 70s the cannabis use is spread in Bulgaria as well. After the beginning of the 90s the use is strongly increasing, despite the strict prohibition. According to the Annual report on the drugs and drug addictions in Bulgaria 2007, marijuana and hash are the most frequently used drugs at the moment.

What’s in it?

The active compound of concern in cannabis is THC (delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol). The warmer the climate in which the cannabis grows, the more THC the plant has. Dutch weed which is grown in greenhouses under virtually ideal circumstances, often contains high concentrations of THC. Hash oil can even contain more than 50% THC.

How is it used?

Hash and weed are usually used in the form of a cigarette called joint. The smoking of joint is typically called “getting high”. Another popular way of taking it is with food – the so called space cakes. The effects of smoking a joint are felt within a few minutes; the effects typically wear off between 2 and 4 hours later. Hash and weed in food only begin to work after an hour or so, which can be seen to bring certain risks with it. Someone more impatient could easily overdose.

Who uses it?

Cannabis (weed, hash) is an illegal drug. According to the law its possession, use and distribution are punishable. On the illegal market the price of marijuana varies from 5 to 25 lv for gram depending on the quality of the substance, which is defined by the concentration of THC (the active compound). The widespread distribution of cannabis helps the easy supplying. Very often it’s cultivated in house conditions.

The cannabis use is related to high mood, relax and escape from reality. The cannabis increases the sensation of the experienced emotion (not necessarily positive) at the moment. It can cause visual hallucinations and lack of memories from the time of the use. The reason is that THC damages the short-term memory. The use of cannabis amongst teenagers is widespread. Some think of cannabis as a door to other drugs.

People, who use cannabis, are emotion seekers, but as every other drug, the cannabis has only a temporary effect. After that the user will experience the secondary or so called undesired effects – for example hunger, lack of concentration etc.

The interest in cannabis is particularly great in puberty as the desire to experiment is also greatest at this time. Data from national researches tells that definitely cannabis is the most frequently used psychoactive substance among the young people in Bulgaria. 27,3 % of the school students in ІХth and ХІІth grade have smoked weed at least once. The average age of first use stays law – 16, 17 years. A research among the students shows that 32,9 % of the questioned university students (about 70 000 students) have tried at least once in their life. 2,6 % of them are using intensively – more than 5 times in the last 30 days.  

The use of hash and weed occurs among all age groups, ranks and classes. About 4500 – 5000 persons are using marijuana intensively. In 2005 39,1 % of the people reported in the police for drug use are reported for cannabis use.

What does the user feel?

The active compound in hash and weed (THC) intensifies one’s mood. The person who does not feel very happy can thus feel even less happy. The person who feels good can feel better and thus experience the effects of THC as pleasant. The person gets ‘high’ or ‘stoned’ which refers to the immense heaviness in the arms and legs which is often experienced by the users.

THC also influences perception. Colours can be perceived as more intense; music can be experienced as more dynamic or intense. The senses of time and space change. The fantasy runs wild. Some people get a sudden urge to eat or the so-called ‘munchies.’ Others get the giggles. Given the anaesthetizing effects of THC, it is frequently used to relax.

In contrast, once can also be overtaken by feelings of anxiety. THC breaks the movement coordination, makes the mouth dry, weakens the muscles, reddens the eyes and accelerates the heartbeat.

Can you get addicted?

A distinction can be made between physical and psychological dependence. We speak of physical dependence when the body protests to stopped usage of the drug (withdrawal symptoms). For people who have used a lot of hash or weed, this sometimes occurs. The most common withdrawal symptoms are anxiety, weight loss, restlessness and insomnia. The use of hash and weed does not automatically lead to a desire or need for harder drugs.

Psychological dependence means that the user increasingly craves the substance and doesn’t really feel good without it. For some users, namely those who use frequently (for example, every day), this may clearly be the case. The psychological dependence can be even stronger when the substance is used to escape from reality, for reasons of boredom or in the face of limited opportunities for the future. For such users, a situation can arise in which only hash or weed are important and nothing else.

What are the risks?

The person who does not feel good should not use hash or weed as the chances of feeling worse are quite large.

• An overly large dosage can create severe feelings of anxiety or dejection. Physically, an overly large dosage can create nasty feelings ranging from dizziness or nausea to panic and loss of consciousness. This is called ‘flipping out.’ Waiting it out is the only thing which can then be done. One can try to calm the person down.
• ‘Flipping out’ as a result of an overly large dosage occurs primarily among inexperienced users (young people, foreign tourists). The risk of this is also greater when hash is eaten because the user has less insight into just how much of the substance is being consumed.
• THC diminishes the ability to concentrate, slows reaction times and impairs short-term memory. Logical thinking is more difficult and the thread of a story can often get lost. THC and doing homework, studying or working do not go hand-in-hand, thus. Driving under the influence is clearly dangerous and strictly prohibited.
• People who use large amounts of THC on a frequent basis can stunt their social-emotional development. Instead of solving problems and learning from this, they simply ‘blow’ the problems and any dissatisfaction off. Such users also run the risk of becoming socially isolated.
• There are indications that a relation exists between the use of cannabis and the onset of such mental disorders as schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.
• Individuals with a mental disorder or a predisposition for such a disorder thus constitute a risk group for cannabis. The use of hash can magnify such disorders or predispositions and is therefore advised against.
• The smoking of a joint usually entails deep inhalation into the lungs and keeping the smoke in the lungs for as long as possible. Cannabis smoke contains more carcinogens than tobacco smoke alone. In the long-run, damage can thus be inflicted on the airways.
• THC has been shown to be present in breast milk. The same applies for hash and weed, thus, as for alcohol, tobacco and other drugs: Use during pregnancy and breast-feeding is strongly discouraged. Most researchers do not consider it proven as yet that long-term use produces permanent effects on the brain or the immune system.
• The more one uses, the greater the risks.

 

Recognition of problematic use

Cannabis use has clear symptoms as described in this text. However, the presence of such symptoms need not necessarily be the result of hash or weed use. Problematic use is thus more clearly indicated when someone feels the need to be stoned on a daily basis and thus shows signs of psychological dependence.

Handling of users

Hash and weed are used in almost everyone’s environment. It is thus possible that someone who is ‘flipping out’ will be encountered at some point. There is no reason to panic. Try to calm the person down in a quiet environment. Reassurance and having the person eat or drink something also usually work. When the person continues to be disoriented or anxious, a doctor should be consulted.

Cannabis should certainly be discussed in education, youth services and families with children. Flatly prohibiting use is not very productive. The chances of using and attempting to keep this a secret are greater, and avoidance of any discussion on the matter may occur as a result. Occasional use can also turn into problematic use without being seen then.

The following points are of importance.

• Good information on hash and weed. The text presented here provides the latest and most important information.
• An open talk without prejudice and convictions could give us the necessary information (kind of the drug, duration and way of use, reasons for using). It’s good to know that the system use of cannabis could lead to difficulties in the execution of routine tasks. There are signs for the problematic use as: reducing of the school performance, change in the social environment (change of the habitual circle of friends or lack of friends) etc. In these cases a sincere conversation is to be lead, in which you could clear out if there are some underlying reasons about the use. The preparation for such a conversation is very important and if you don’t feel ready for it, you could ask for help or look for a professional opinion.
• Clear boundaries should be set. The credibility of a parent or any other authority figure is greater when this person sticks to what has been agreed upon.
• The experimentation of a young person will not quickly derail into heavier use when the young person is not bored, has the capacity to think independently and say ‘no’ and can handle setbacks.
• Keep the lines of communication open; panic and threats often backfire and elicit the opposite of the desired effect.
• Do not be too embarrassed to ask for advice and seek help when needed.