What is Cannabis, and its related facts, may not be a new topic at all. Though it’s known worldwide, it still has both good and bad reputations. In general, cannabis is only used for recreational effects. But, after the declaration of its legality in some areas right now, cannabis is sold in many forms and shows potential effects on health.
In fact, there is growing evidence has been reported that medical cannabis shows promising effects regarding brain conditions or respiratory issues. So, is that mean using cannabis really good for health? Well, to know this answer, read this article which exclusively covers all topics related to Cannabis forms, concentrates and their long-term effects on health.
What is Cannabis?
Cannabis doesn’t only mean the flowers, plant seeds, and leaves of the cannabis or marijuana plant. Though dried cannabis buds are the conventional and most popular type of cannabis, edibles, concentrates, and more types are developing to be more common. Local names for cannabis, for example, pot and weed, may be used to describe the multiple different forms of this compound. Online marijuana stores sell cannabis-infused brownies, breakfast cereal bars, and fruit drinks. They also sell cannabis patches, lotions, oils, and other products which include THC — the psychotropic compound in cannabis. Each of these forms of cannabis is manufactured from one of three cannabis varieties: cannabis Indica, cannabis Sativa, or cannabis ruderalis. The former plant species is not very popular in the United States because of its low strength. Indica, Sativa, and hybrid strains of the plant variety are the most popular strains of cannabis. The various forms of cannabis vary in strength and result in different outcomes varying on the parent strain they are derived from. These special effects also differ by method of ingestion. Certain methods of usage may be less probable to cause cannabis addiction than their counterparts, but all forms of cannabis can result in addiction and other psychological health problems.
Is Cannabis Useful in Treating Health Conditions?
Drugs with cannabis contents may be helpful in curing certain rare types of nausea, epilepsy, and vomiting linked with cancer chemotherapy, and loss of taste and loss of weight connected with HIV/AIDS. In addition, some testimony indicates modest advantages of cannabis or cannabinoids for persistent pain and several sclerosis syndromes. However, cannabis isn’t useful for the treatment of glaucoma. Study on cannabis or cannabinoids for other illnesses and health conditions is currently in its nascent stage. The following are the summarized version of several studies and research on cannabis or cannabinoids for corresponding health conditions:
Managing Pain
Several studies have been done on the impacts of cannabis or cannabinoids on prolonged pain, especially neuropathic pain i.e., the pain which is associated with nerve damage or injury.
A study done in the year 2018 looked at 47 studies (with 4,743 test subjects) of cannabis or cannabinoids for different types of persistent and prolonged pain other than cancer pain and noticed proof of a modest but consistent benefit. 29% of people ingesting cannabis/cannabinoids had a 30 per cent decrease in their pain although 26% of those administering a control substance (placebo) did. The difference may be too little to be significant to patients but it’s quite promising. However, harmful effects (side effects) were more widespread among people administering cannabis/cannabinoids than those doing placebos.
Another 2018 study done on 16 subjects taking cannabis-based drugs for neuropathic pain, most of which tried a cannabinoid medicine called nabiximols (product name Sativex; an oral spray comprising both THC and CBD that is accepted in few countries but not in the States), discovered low- to modest-quality sign that these drugs molded better relief from agony and pain than placebos fixed. Though, the information could not be deemed dependable because the findings contained little records of individuals and may have been prejudiced. People doing cannabis-extracted drugs were more likely than those considering placebos to drop out of experiments because of the adverse effects.
Another 2015 research of 28 studies (2,454 test subjects) of cannabis in which persistent pain was evaluated discovered the findings usually showed enhancements in pain rates in people taking cannabis-based medicine, but these did not achieve numerical importance in most of the findings. Though, the typical number of patients who testified at least a 30 percent decrease in pain was more with cannabinoids than with placebo.
Relief from Anxiety
A tiny amount of testimony from studies in individuals indicates that cannabis or infused products might help to get relief from anxiety. One research done in 24 individuals with social anxiety syndrome found that they had fewer anxiety attacks in a modeled public speaking assessment after taking CBD than after administering a placebo. In addition, results from 4 distinct studies have indicated that cannabis may be beneficial for people suffering from anxiety along with chronic pain; the research participants did not certainly have anxiety conditions.
Treatment of Epilepsy
Cannabis or its infused products or just simply CBD, have been examined for the therapy of seizures linked with types of epilepsy that are very complicated to cooperate with other drugs. Epidiolex which is CBD infused drug (administered orally) has been authorized by the FDA as a medication for controlling seizures linked with two epileptic conditions: Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. However not enough study has been done on cannabis for other, more conventional forms of epilepsy to set aside assumptions to be concluded about whether they’re beneficial for these circumstances.
Helping with Insomnia
Numerous research of cannabis or infused products’ impacts on people with physical condition such as PTSD, multiple sclerosis, or chronic pain have seemed at special effects on sleep. Frequently, there’s been proof of improved sleep quality, less sleep disorders, or reduced time to fall asleep in individuals taking cannabis or CBD infused products. However, it’s unclear whether the cannabis-infused edibles affected sleep immediately or whether people slept well because the indications of their ailments had increased. The impacts of cannabis or CBD on sleep difficulties in people who don’t have other ailments are quite ambiguous.
Managing PTSD
Several people with PTSD have used cannabis or its infused products manufactured from it to attempted to relieve their medical conditions and believe that it can help out with the remedy, but there’s been little study done on whether it’s really effective in helping. One very small study done on 10 people who were administering the cannabinoid nabilone was more efficient than a palliative at alleviating PTSD-linked hallucinations and nightmares. Experimental research that collected data on individuals with PTSD who made their own preferences about whether to use cannabis or its infused products. However, the data haven’t offered clear proof on whether cannabis is effective or detrimental for PTSD syndromes.
Cancer Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting
A study done in the year 2015 on the review of 23 research publication (data of approximately 1,300 test subjects) on the cannabinoids nabilone or dronabinol for handling nausea and vomiting connected to cancer chemotherapy uncovered that they were more accommodating than a placebo and comparable in efficiency to other drugs used for this handling these syndromes. More people had side effects such as lightheadedness or sleepiness, though, when administering the cannabinoid drugs. The research on nabilone and dronabinol for curing nausea and vomiting linked with cancer chemotherapy was first done in the 1980s and 90s and considers the sorts of chemotherapy therapies and options of antinausea drugs offered at that point in time rather than existing ones.
Various Forms of Cannabis
After reviewing Cannabis’s positive effects on health, you might have a question in mind, to get these benefits, what forms are safe to use, right? Well, until now, cannabis is available in many forms, such as:
Traditional
Traditional cannabis is available in the form of dried-up flowers of the cannabis plant. Nearly all people smoke this type of cannabis in cigar wraps, bongs, hand-spun pipes, or cigarettes. It can be burned using specific electronic gadgets, or it can be utilized to make edible food items by infusing cannabis in the food items. In the 90s, the strength of cannabis on the street was about 3 percent. By the year 2013, the typical potency expanded to almost 10 percent. In several states, legal cannabis can contain up to 20 percent THC or even more. In most cases, traditional cannabis is less powerful than other types of pot. It can include other pollutants or be mixed with other ingredients. Most people who purchase cannabis on the street don’t understand what’s in this compound that they’re buying. Even legal cannabis can contain contaminations or chemicals as many states don’t need an assessment before it’s marketed for the consumers.
Hashish
Hashish, which is also known as a hash, is created from the resin of the cannabis plant. The resin is first removed from the cannabis plant and then dried up and condensed. It can be compressed into a range of structures, including cell blocks, sheets, and balls. Hash is much tougher than conventional cannabis, as stated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It can be combined with tobacco or burned on its own. It’s occasionally blended with food and consumed. When hash or a different form of cannabis is combined with food, the finishing product is known as edible. Smoking any type of cannabis can be harmful to the lungs. It’s also the fastest way to get the treatment to the head. The quicker a drug goes the brain, the more possibility it is to cause obsession or addiction and other health concerns. Smoking cannabis is proven to be addictive and can start to the growth of a substance abuse case. However, certain people do not turn out to be addicted to the drug. But they can develop a dependency and experience cannabis withdrawal syndrome when they stop using the drug. This danger for addiction is greater when people use more powerful types of cannabis.
Concentrates
Oil extracted from the hash and other types of Cannabis concentrates, or isolates, are among the most powerful types of cannabis. They’re prepared by removing the THC content from the cannabis plant with carbon, butane, or other solvents. This extraction method is unsafe and has been the sole cause to fires, explosions, and several fatal accidents. These types of cannabis are occasionally called THC oil, cannabis oil or butane hash oil. Cannabis extracts can be in the middle of three and five time tougher than conventional cannabis, as per the data published in the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Cannabis concentrates and other high-THC edible substances have the highest risk of triggering mental health problems such as delusions and severe paranoia. Oils are occasionally combined with alcohol. People blend them to get an elevated feeling of high and intoxicated, all at the same time — a sense is most widely known as crossfading. Oils are also available in the form of capsules or food items. People can smoke or vape cannabis concentrates from pipes, bongs, vape pens or other electronic gadgets. Huffing any form of cannabis extract is widely referred to as “dabbing.” But generally, most people only use the word dabbing to explain freebasing the cannabis oil concentrates. This generally involves a “oil rig,” or “dab rig” two phrases for a specific bong that is intended for smoking cannabis concentrates.
Shatter and Wax
Shatter and Wax are two types of cannabis concentrate that vary in form and appearance. Cannabis wax is usually known as “budder” because it appears as yellowish, tacky earwax or softened pastry butter. Shatter on the other hand is a tough, rock-solid form of cannabis. It looks like amber—calcified tree resin. Same as oils, wax and shatter are created by removing THC from cannabis utilizing a solvent. These highly effective forms of cannabis are usually burnt, vaporized or dabbed. It’s quite easy to overdose on cannabis wax or shatter as they contain exceptionally high concentrations of THC. Cannabis overdoses aren’t deadly, but they can result in serious side effects, such as fear, panic attacks and paranoia. Cannabis concentrates also share comparable dangers like smoking mixed cannabis. It’s difficult to know what ingredients in the cannabis oils, waxes or other forms of cannabis resins are that are available on the street. They may be tainted with butane or other impure substances or chemicals that can result in serious health complications.
Edibles
The phrase edible can belong to any type or form of cannabis that’s combined with foodstuff or drinks. crispy treats, brownies, and other cooked goods are some of the most popular kinds of cannabis edibles. As more US states have decriminalized the leisure and medical use of cannabis, more kinds of edibles have become readily available in the market. THC can also be filled into tea, fruit, and other organic foods. Edibles that are marketed in stores or pharmacies should clearly label their packaging about the ingredients and its measurements. It can be tricky to tell if homegrown edibles contain cannabis. Unlike smoking or dabbing, the effects of eating cannabis products aren’t felt instantly. It can take about 30 to 50 minutes to understand the effects of cannabis edibles. Cannabis stays inside the human body for a longer period of time when it’s consumed contrasted to when it’s smoked with a pipe, joint or bong.
Topicals
Topicals are one of the only types of cannabis which contain THC that aren’t usually applied to get the feeling of high. They’re also a generic type of medicinal cannabis. Topicals are applied to care for skin illnesses, arthritis spasms, muscle pains and other disorders. Most cannabis topicals don’t turn up in the blood of the human body. The THC must take a trip through the bloodstream to the brain to get you the feeling of high. Utilizing cannabis topicals won’t reason you to not pass a drug test if THC doesn’t turn up in the bloodstream. Patches, another form of topical are the only transdermic — through the skin — method of cannabis administering that may make it to the blood of the human body and result you failing a drug test. These cannabis patches can be applied to get a strong feeling of high. Some therapeutic benefits of cannabis have been well studied, but many assertions about the advantages of the drug are not proven. Except for some cannabis topicals, any form of cannabis item containing THC can be addictive and take the lead to mental health difficulties linked with marijuana. Commonly, administering methods that cause fast, extreme highs are the most likely to trigger health difficulties.
Final Words
Cannabis in any form is just not safe for the typical person for regular usage, be it recreational or for medical purposes. Cannabis essentially alters brain harmony in methods that are rare, unpredictable, and at times lasting and permanent. The explanation does not require considering for brand-new and innovative ways to administer this drug. The key solution entails getting free of charge of cannabis craving completely, and psychotherapy can make it successful. An experienced addiction psychotherapist can assist people to build up more sober lifestyles that is sustainable. However, there have been almost no cases of fatal consequences of overdosing from cannabis or its derived products. But nevertheless, the usage of cannabis has been associated with an improved risk of automobile crashes in the United States. In addition, smoking cannabis throughout the pregnancy period has been linked to a decrease in the birth weight of the newborn and subsequent neonatal complications. Still, there can be no doubt in the capability and ability of cannabis in treating several medical problems such as pain, insomnia, anxiety, PTSD, epilepsy, etc. We only hope the brighter side of cannabis shines in the near future to help the ailing symptoms of many patients and lead them towards the path of relief. Many more studies and researches are required by the esteemed scientific professionals of the apex institutes to refer to any solid conclusions.
