Understanding Cannabis
By Michael S. Lazar
There really is a significant amount of information that dropped onto the public’s collective heads when cannabis became legal in Massachusetts. Some of it is factual, some of it helpful, some of it fake, and some of it harmful. I’m sure we have all encountered someone of a puritanical mindset who sees cannabis as an antagonist to public and personal welfare, that the plant can even be dangerous. Do I think that’s an exaggeration? Absolutely. Are folks like that entirely wrong? Let’s get into it.
Is Cannabis Dangerous to the Body?
Anyone who works with pharmaceuticals or herbs would agree that the only difference between poison and medicine is dosage. It is nearly impossible to take a lethal dose of THC through normal means, though, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take too much. Lots of cannabis aficionados have a story about the edible that they underestimated, myself included. The symptoms may include; disorientation, anxiety, light-headedness, heavy limbs, lack of coordination, slurred speech, difficulty thinking, sweating, and shortness of breath. I’ve definitely experienced a panic attack while too high, and it made me very respectful of what the plant can do. But what does THC do to your body, you may ask? Well, very simply, it can lower the blood pressure and increase heart rate. Those experiences, coupled with the high, may cause paranoia about what your body is experiencing. But there are incredibly few (if any) cases of deaths caused exclusively by cannabis. There are scientific articles such as “Sudden unexpected death under acute influence of cannabis”¹ and “Cannabis as a cause of death: a review”² which speculate that it can be potentially lethal to those with cardiovascular issues. These cases are incredibly rare, however, and are difficult to accurately identify cannabis as the direct cause. From a collection of data hosted by the CDC, you can see cannabis has a lower mortality rate than tylenol.
Cannabis has been classified by the US Drug Enforcement Agency as a Schedule I substance, which is defined as a drug that has no known medical use and a high potential for abuse. Clearly we disagree, and it seems the US Department for Health and Human Services is coming around too. (And the actual, insidious, intentions behind cannabis prohibition in the early 1900s is a story for another blog post!) But one of the key implications of cannabis being on Schedule I alongside heroin and LSD, is that we have not been able to properly conduct any real medical peer-reviewed research on the plant. Therefore we have to be aware that cannabis can be harmful to young minds. Unless medically necessary, children should not consume cannabis due to the negative impact it can have on the growing brain, potentially leading to learning and memory difficulties. On the other hand, I can give my personal account of how cannabis changed my life. Seven years ago I began to experience what were referred to as “non epileptic, psychogenic seizures”. After seeing a psychiatrist, neurologist, and cardiologist, I was told that my stress was manifesting as vasovagal responses that were overloading my system and causing me to seize. Cannabis has allowed me to live a life without the fear of an impending seizure that I wasn’t sure I’d ever wake up from. From 2017-2019, I used cannabis (coupled with abstaining from alcohol) to drop from 380lbs to 220lbs. I have cannabis to thank for massive improvements in my quality of life. I’ve seen friends and family alike use cannabis to heal themselves with neurological issues, with surgeries, with sore muscles and aching joints.
Is Cannabis Addictive?
In short - maybe. When I was courting cannabis as a cure for my seizures, my therapist spoke to me about what addiction looks like. My partner was concerned about my forming an addiction so I wanted to understand more about the possible changes in my personality. I was asked a range of questions. Would I become angry or combative if I was unable to afford or have access to cannabis? Not really, I replied, though I’d be kinda bummed. I’d crave nicotine before THC. Did I find myself lying more to hide my habits? Again, not really, but I was medicating with a known “recreational drug”. Was I stealing money from my family or from my workplace in order to fund my habit? Goodness, no! The thought was abhorrent to me. My therapist explained that an unhealthy addiction will manifest itself in those ways. You would lie, cheat, steal, and hurt others in order to get your mitts on your next fix. Alcohol, heroin, gambling, these things cause those types of reactions in folks that become hopelessly addicted to them. While it seems that cannabis doesn’t elicit a true mental addiction like other drugs or habits, physical dependency is another thing entirely. At some point in a cannabis consumer’s life, they will experience a “tolerance break”. During that time, you can experience difficulty sleeping, irritability, and lack of appetite, to name a few symptoms. There can be a dependence that arises through the use of cannabis because it truly helps regulate body functions and signals.
While I don’t believe cannabis has an addictive quality to the mind, I think it can be addictive to the spirit. That’s fine if you don’t believe in spirit, energy, or chakra, but bear with me for a moment. “Chakras” refer to points of flowing energy in your body, starting from the base of your spine and moving up to the very crown of your head. Each chakra has a domain for which it is responsible, and they require balance. For example, the Root chakra at the base of your spine is responsible for your stability. In practical terms, this means it deals with food, water, and the basest needs of life. If your Root is closed off, the lack of energy flow can manifest in unhealthy eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, or as anxious disorders. Alternatively, a Root that is too open has wild energy fluctuations that can result in the opposite - food addiction, eating for comfort, obesity, a desperate need for security. I believe cannabis can be an addiction of the Third Eye chakra. It’s easy for us all to get lost in our busy days, snag a cup of coffee and off to work, mind racing on the tasks and chores necessary to keep us going for another day, another week, another month. Cannabis can cause you to slow down. It allows you to search your intuition, to be mindful of your self and your body. For me, it acts like a prophylactic for the brain, a coating that insulates my self from the outside world. It’s much easier to deal with damn near anything when you’ve got a joint in hand. This is why it can be addictive to the spirit - it’s a simple way to make life feel easier. I think it’s important for everyone who uses cannabis to be mindful of their mindsets when consuming it. You might just be using it as a bandage for an underlying issue with your self.
How Can I Use Cannabis Responsibly?
Dosage, timing, and mindfulness are the three key factors to responsible cannabis use. Know your dosage. You can always add components to a reaction, but it’s much harder to stop that reaction once the reagents are added. Don’t use cannabis in potentially dangerous situations (like driving under the influence) and understand the long release and lasting effects of edibles. Be mindful of your surroundings, your mindset, and your company. You can always do what I did and consult medical professionals to see if you’re at risk for any harmful effects or to see if cannabis could be a beneficial medication for you. Cannabis has been an ally to humans for thousands of years, having been referenced in the Torah as “kaneh bosm”, found in the Chinese pharmacopeia going back to 2800 BC, and is known to have been used since at least 600 years before the common era by the Phoenecians for medicinal uses. We have a long history with the plant, but we’re only now truly re-discovering how it integrates with our minds, bodies, and spirits.
Works Cited
¹Hartung B, Kauferstein S, Ritz-Timme S, Daldrup T. Sudden unexpected death under acute influence of cannabis. Forensic Sci Int. 2014 Apr;237:e11-3. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.02.001. Epub 2014 Feb 12. PMID: 24598271.
²Drummer OH, Gerostamoulos D, Woodford NW. Cannabis as a cause of death: A review. Forensic Sci Int. 2019 May;298:298-306. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.03.007. Epub 2019 Mar 14. PMID: 30925348.
