How does Cannabis cause addiction Essays

How does Cannabis cause addiction Essays How does Cannabis cause addiction Essay How does Cannabis cause addiction Essay How does Cannabis cause addiction? Addiction Is seen as a difficult medical disorder by the INS. This is because of how the chemical imbalance is altered as illicit drugs tap into the way the nerve cells communicate. There are two prominent ways in which drugs of abuse and legal drugs affect the brain. The first way Is by mimicking the brains natural chemicals. Another way In which the brain can be affected Is through the overpopulation of the limbic reward system. The majority of illicit drugs have something in common they alter the amount of dopamine drastically in the nucleus acumens. Once again there are different ways in which the release of Dopamine is affected. Cocaine is an example of a direct drug as It blocks the dopamine rapture via the DATA. On the other hand; cannabis Is an example of an Indirect drug as It overestimates a receptor which then leads to an increase of dopamine released in the synapse. This dissertation is based on the class 8 drug Cannabis. It is true to say that Cannabis is the most widely used Illegal drug in Britain and worldwide. Cannabis comes from a cannabis plant more formally known as cannabis static. It will grow widely In most replica climates. It is increasingly being cultured and grown for recreational uses using hydroponics technology I am going to explore; if cannabis is addictive or we Just becoming dependent to it. There are various deferent forms of this illicit drug, these Include: Hash (which Is cannabis resin) a light brown solid, Marijuana/Weed which Is the dried leaves or flowers of the plant, finally, in recent years there has been an increase in Skunk. Skunk contains two to three times more of the active ingredient than weed it is on the increase as it creates stronger highs than other strains of cannabis. The most commonly known effects for cannabis Include: relaxation, hunger/ Increase In appetite, anxiety, paranoia, alteration of tale and perception, happiness and euphoria. It can also have an effect on pain relief and block pain receptors on the body easing soreness and pain. There is a theory that long term use of cannabis can lead to mental health issues such as psychotic illnesses- most commonly schizophrenia. There are various different ways to take In cannabis. These are demonstrated below. Ingestion Ingested cannabis takes time to create an effect on the body as it needs to enter the tomcat and then be passed onto the intestinal tract before entering the blood stream. However this Is not a popular way of taking cannabis as some of the TECH Is destroyed due to being metabolize by the liver, in addition to this it takes longer to experience any sort of effect. The side effects of Ingesting cannabis can be much greater than smoking. Due to the illegality of cannabis buying into this illegal economy Is very dangerous as the user Is UN-aware of the cannabis dosage. An overdose of cannabis can be an extremely unpleasant experience for the user as it can leave them feeling anxious and paranoid. Smoking This is the most commonly way of taking cannabis as it releases side effects within five to twenty minutes. The strain that is most commonly associated with smoking Is marijuana/ weed. Firstly It is changed into a gaseous form by supplying It with intense heat (a lighter). It is changed into a gaseous form because the lungs have a 1 OFF can get into the bloodstream The Science Behind Cannabis There are different types of cannabises in cannabis; the two most studied ones are the psychoactive and the non-psychoactive types, this is because these two types of cannabises create the side effects. An example of a psychoactive cannabis is TECH (dehydrogenations) and CAB (cannonading) is an example of a non- psychoactive chemical. CAB contributes to the user feeling calm and relaxed; CAB is also responsible for cannabis pain relieving qualities in addition to the anti- inflammatory qualities. There is an ongoing medical debate about whether this should be used to help patients suffering from pain. It is true to say that TECH is the most potent chemical which causes side effects of Cannabis. TECH resembles the natural chemical Animated It works by binding to the cannabis receptors on nerve cells. This is because unlike alcohol, cannabis contains molecules that resemble those produced in our bodies. Different strains of cannabis contain different amounts of TECH. For example Hemp contains up to 1% of TECH, this would have fewer side effects than Skunk which can contain up to 20% TECH. Therefore it is true to say depending on what strain of cannabis you take; depends on how reliant you get to it. Cannabises are specialized neurotransmitters. Normally, once a neuron has Just fired (released neurotransmitters via the axon to a dendrite of another neuron) it becomes temporarily disabled; this allows your brain to function n a calm and controlled manner. However, cannabises interrupt this process and remove the refectory period of neurons. This means the particular thought that was being engaged with becomes the only thought in your brain. It also plays a part in the dopamine levels Cannabis receptors are mainly concentrated in the areas of the brain which cause us; to think, to remember, to experience pleasure and have a sense of time and perception (cerebral cortex, hippopotamus, cerebellum, thalamus and basal ganglia). Less concentrated cannabises are found scattered all over the odd (in immune cells), this is why people who often experience pain are users of cannabis as it blocks the receptors which can cause pain. A normal functioning body produces enough cannabises to let it know when it is hungry, experiencing pleasure etc. However, when artificially supplying your body with TECH you are over stimulating specialized receptors (cannabis receptors) in the brain which essentially creates a domino effect as it then over stimulates the dopamine releasing neurons, this results in too much dopamine in the synapse which is the main cause for the side effects. It is also true to say that you are temporarily brain damaged when experiencing effects of cannabis, this is because the cannabis receptors in your brain (the hippopotamus) that control short term memory and spatial navigation are over stimulated therefore your neurons can not function well and imitate that of being brain damaged. Once these compounds have bound to the cannabis receptors; they begin to overestimates the cannabis receptors. In a cannabis (or any drug) free scenario the pre synaptic cell generates and electrical signal which in turn cause the synaptic vesicle to move to the cell membrane in which it would lease its contents into the synaptic cleft. In the synaptic cleft the neurotransmitter would bind to the receptor on the plasma membrane of the post synaptic cleft. For example if it was a dopamine pathway; dopamine would be released from the cannabis receptors are overestimated which then fasten the electrical impulses which are feeding forward to activate the dopamine receptors causing the euphoric side effects. This is all part of the limbic reward system. The limbic reward system is partly responsible for the release of dopamine. Rewards (increased release of dopamine) are usually found in activities such as sex. Cannabis gives greater rewards (amounts of dopamine) to our body than natural ones because of its instant properties which artificially mimic our own bodies cannabises therefore tricking our body into thinking we are experiencing such things. Statistics show that approximately 10% of cannabis users become addicted. However, this doesnt necessarily mean that a lot of people do not get dependent. There is a huge difference between addiction and dependence; being addicted to a drug means that you have to use the drug compulsively and is defined by the inability to stop. On the there hand, dependency is a physical state your body experiences because it has adapted to the drug being in your system. This therefore means you need more of it to feel the euphoric effects because the body has become tolerant to the chemical being in your system. After long term use of cannabis the users body would become dependent on cannabis being present in the system therefore the users body would produce less dopamine. Studies show that the stratum is a particularly affected area this is why cannabis users who havent had a dosage in a while or are trying to afraid from using the drug may be depressed or lack motivation. In addition to this, it has been proven that you are very likely to experience memory problems; this is because the overpopulation leads to abnormal changes in the brains structure as certain neurons are decommissioned and others can shrink and collapse. On the whole there is an overall decrease in healthy functioning neurons. Mental health problems such as schizophrenia are at an increased risk by those who frequently use cannabis over a longer period of time. This is suggested as cannabis distorts improvements in particular with younger people. A particular area which is targeted by this distortion is the frontal cortex which is responsible for cognitive behavior, personality and social behavior. It is true to say after heavy usage of cannabis over a long period of time, makes withdrawing from it difficult as the user would experience psychological withdrawal effects. A huge issue surrounding cannabis dependency is that the users are very reluctant to give it up as users see this as there final vice. This is because they have become dependent on it to help them relax and be happy and the probability of them becoming depressed when not sing the drug (cold turkey) is very great. A big medical debate which has been present in society for some decades is whether cannabis should be used in medical scenarios as a pain reliever. Some view the idea of an illegal drug as immoral and a contradiction of the law, however to others it is seen as a temporary cure for people to be able to live an ordinary lifestyle. Medical conditions that cannabis is used for in many countries are: chronic pain, arthritis, cancer, aids and many more. Among these users are terminally ill people who wish to have the quality of their life improved. In y opinion, cannabis should not be used long term as the user would become dependent on the drug. However, if somebody is terminally ill, I think that it is acceptable for them to use cannabis as a pain reliever as this would increase their them to experience less pain. Many different views are held in society over the use of Cannabis. This is because it can be very effective in reducing pain however can lead to other issues such as mental illnesses and depression, cannabis is such an important drug that we investigate into as it is the most used illegal drug in the world, marijuana being the most commonly used strain of it. In 2009 it was re-graded from a class C drug to a class B drug. The former home secretary Cachou) Smith justified her decision by the scare of skunk, which is becoming widely available. However there are lots of conspiracies that the scientific evidence is not the reason cannabis is illegal instead because it is associated with protection of corporate profits and ignorant/ incompetent corrupt legislators. Through this dissertation I have evaluated the social and scientific areas in which cannabis effects. Cannabis although non-addictive it can make you dependent which can cause long term effects. Whilst the short term effects may be fun (egg. Euphoria and delayed reaction times), it is a personal responsibility whether they are worth the potential long term effects which are irreversible. I also dont think it would make a huge difference to our society if cannabis was legalized (besides crime rates) this is because legal drugs such as methadone have much more addictive properties than cannabis. Personally I believe that more research should be conducted into the long term uses of cannabis to make a more concrete Judgment on whether it should be allowed to be used as a legal recreational drug.