Cannabis

Cannabis, also know as ganja, grass, hash, marijuana, weed and a multitude of other names, is a psychoactive recreational drug from the cannabis plant, used for recreational, medicinal, religious or spiritual purposes. It has been used since ancient times and is the most popular psychoactive drug in the world by a large margin.¹ The main psychoactive component of cannabis is the cannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (known as THC) but there are many other compounds and cannabinoids present in the plant, such as cannabidiol (CBD).

Consumed in multiple ways (drank, smoked, consumed in food, vaped etc.), cannabis is generally used to either experience a so-called 'high'/being 'stoned' and enjoy it's effects (often in combination with other drugs), for medical reasons, such as nausea relief or in spiritual or religious ceremonies and contexts.

The desired effects of consumption, which typically last around four hours, include;

an altered state of mind
an altered sense of time
euphoria
increased;
appreciation of the arts/media (film, music, TV etc.)
appetite (the 'munchies')
introspection
sensuality
awareness
creativity
libido
relaxation
metacognition
introspection
stress reduction
pain reduction

Common undesirable effects include;

anxiety
dry mouth (zerostomia)
increased heart rate
impairment of short-term and working memory
impairment of physical coordination (including balance)
paranoia
red eyes
tiredness

Other, more serious adverse effects are detailed later in this article.

Consumption Methods

Method	Onset of Effects	Duration	Content	Treatment For...
Smoking	Minutes	Four hours	-------------	--------------------------------------
Vaporising	Minutes	Four hours	-------------	--------------------------------------
Ingestion	An hour or more	----------	-------------	--------------------------------------
Drink	-----------------	----------	-------------	--------------------------------------
Capsule	-----------------	----------	-------------	--------------------------------------

Strains

There are three strains or varieties of the cannibis plant.

Sativa

Largest plant of the three strains.

Indica

Medium

Ruderalis

The smallest plant of the three strains, rarely used for recreational or medicinal purposes because of it's small size and low THC content.

Medical Cannabis

In the US and UK, these specific medications are available;

Drug Name	Brand Name(s)	Form	Content	Treatment For...
Dronabinol	Marinol & Syndros	Capsule	THC	US: HIV/AIDS-induced anorexia & chemotherapy induced nausea
Nabilone	Cesamet	Capsule	Synthetic THC	US/UK²: Chemotherapy induced nausea
CBD Oil	Epidyolex	Liquid	CBD	UK²: Severe epilepsy
Nabiximols	Sativex	Spray	50/50 CBD/THC	UK²: MS induced spasticity

In the UK the relevant drugs above are only permitted for use if other treatments have failed and can only be prescribed by a doctor on a specialist register.²

Cannabis-based medicines may offer modest relief for chronic, especially neuropathic, pain and slight improvements in function and sleep in chronic pain patients.

Adverse Effects of Use

CBD helps mitigate the negative effects of THC!!!

Addiction

Cannibis use disorder (CUD)

Anxiety

Memory

Paranoia

Schizophrenia

Drug Testing

Most cannabinoids such as THC are fat soluble (lipophilic), giving them a long half-life compared to other recreational drugs. This is why cannabis use can be detected for so long after use (particularly if regular) as it's easily stored (and later released) by fat cells.

Drug tests can detect THC in blood, hair and urine for many days, weeks or even months after use, while saliva tests can only detect the chemical for a number of hours (2-24).³ ⁴ Frequency of use, the level of THC in the cannabis, metabolism, gender, BMI and hydration can all impact the results of a drug test.⁵⁶⁹

Detection periods (depending on the factors described previously) are as follows, in ascending order;

blood: up to twelve hours⁴
saliva: up to twenty four hours⁴⁷⁸
urine: between one day to a month or longer (approximately three days for a first time user, five to seven for an every other day user and thirty days or longer for a daily user)
hair: up to ninety days⁴⁶