Schizophrenia-Linked Tendencies in Regular Cannabis Users - Dissertation Example

It considers such matters as the psychological and physical changes cannabis use brings about, and how this is affected by such things as the age of inset and the length of time use continues, as well as the strength of the drug used.Cannabis is described as any psychoactive substance derived from the plant Cannabis Sativa, which has been grown throughout the world. ( Hall and Pacula, 2003). Cannabis is classed as a hallucinogen and dissociative or psychedelic drug.Tetra hydro cannabinol (THC) is the chemical that gives cannabis its effects.

Changes can be made to the chemical makeup by how much UV light is used in the growth process. Although thought by many to be innocuous, there are increasing amounts of evidence of several adverse effects from dependence. Among those with pre-existing psychiatric conditions, other negative effects may be experienced. Different parts of the plant can be used to produce a variety of substances. These different substances come in different strengths or potency (Castle, Murray, and D'Souza, 2011).

The Cannabis sativa plant has more than 480 natural components of which 66 are classed as cannabinoids, and of these the most important one being is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (The University of Washington, 2012). The dried leaves of the cannabis plant have many names but are perhaps most often referred to as weed or marijuana. The resin obtained from the plant can also be dried and compressed, a product which is then called hashish or hash. The most potent form of cannabis available on the streets of the UK is called skunk, which refers to the name given to the potent smell of the cannabis.

The potency of cannabis can vary depending on the levels of THC contained (Vaidya et al, 2011).The most common way of using cannabis would be to smoke it with tobacco, using rolling paper, which is referred to as a joint or zoot. Other ways of administering cannabis would be to drink it like tea or to bake it with different foods (Grinspoon and Bakalar, 1993). The United Nations (UNODC, 2012), discussion paper also mentions the use of cannabis oil.