What is Cannabis? Is Cannabis Culture that Bad?

Believe it or not, smoking cannabis, recreational use of marijuana, and cannabis consumption are not new things.

In fact, the cannabis industry and marijuana use have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. Actually, to be precise, recreational marijuana use and medical use of cannabis date back to as early 500 BC.

According to Scientific Literature and Cannabis Research THC Use and Recreational Marijuana Use is on The Rise

Yet, despite cannabis’s extended use history, many people have only started to become acquainted with the drug in the past two decades. Why?

Because cannabis users and manufacturers are fighting to make medical and recreational use of marijuana a part of the legal market for drug use. But what many people do not understand is that allowing cannabis products to be used recreationally under federal law poses severe public health risks.

The Dangers of Recreational Marijuana Use and Marijuana Legalization in the United States

In recent years, observational studies have noted an uptick in public anxiety levels and cannabis-related use.

And as cannabis use has increased, public health officials have noted increases in drug and alcohol use too. As more illicit substances are used across the country, more and more addiction cases are beginning to arise.

The cannabis increase is no exception.

Yet, the rising rates of States in the U.S. pushing for and approving marijuana legalization have left residents of all ages and backgrounds with many questions. In Washington State alone, marijuana has been approved for legalized use in specific populations since 2012. Even so, people have many questions surrounding cannabis. Some people are left asking themselves, “what is cannabis?” For other individuals, they are wondering, “Is marijuana addictive? Does it add to the growing substance abuse epidemic in the U.S. etc.?”

We here at St. John’s Recovery Place think your questions deserve to be answered.

So, without further ado, here are a few things you should know about cannabis and its culture.

What is Marijuana?

Let us start from the beginning. What is cannabis, you ask?

Today, cannabis, otherwise known as pot, weed, or marijuana, is best known as a mind-altering, psychoactive drug. Chemically, the drug is a combination of mind-altering and non-mind-altering compounds, all derived from the dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. Yet pop culture movies like Reefer Madness, places like Washington State, and scientific research are desperately trying to turn the public’s opinion of weed from disdain to acceptance. They attempt to do this by highlighting the “medical benefits” THC can provide patients struggling with chronic pain.

According to research, THC is a chemical compound found in marijuana that can be separated from the other side effects of cannabis for medical use.

Weed is a Complex Drug that Comes in Many Forms

As a result, cannabis products, culture, and usage have become confusing topics of interest in more recent years. Is it bad, or is it good?

When distributed, Marijuana Can Look Like Green-Grey Moss. Or a Brownish-Green Cluster of Brittle Leaves and Flowers

After distribution, cannabis is generally smoked from hand-rolled cigarettes (joints), hand-rolled in cigar wraps (blunts), or even in water pipes called bongs.

But of course, with cannabis culture ever-evolving, weed’s uses have expanded exponentially.

Yes, most people use the psychoactive drug by smoking it through a joint, bong, or blunt. But weed can also be smoked in vapor form, drank as tea, and even eaten in candy, brownie, or cookie forms. Marijuana has many forms. And it comes with many uses. Although the drug is typically used in recreational settings, studies have shown that the dried plant can also have excellent medicinal properties.

So, what is cannabis? It is an extraordinarily complex drug that can alter your mind and potentially help you with some severe medical conditions.

Weed in Pop Culture

Unfortunately, weed’s influence is everywhere. Even before the process of marijuana legalization truly set in and began to take effect in the United States, stoners (or chronic weed smokers) and stoner paraphernalia made some subtle and not-so-subtle appearances in songs, television, music, and movies.

High school kids experimented with it. And young adults spent hours of their time acquiring, selling, and using it. Even older adults were noted to have been seen sitting back with a joint occasionally.

But the constant use of weed in pop culture does not make cannabis safe to use.

In the Past, Weed, was and is, “Cool” to Use in Pop Culture

It was a ticket into the pop culture club, no matter your age or social standing.

Rap artists sang about it. Music groups wrote music while using it. Even populations of people were characterized in tv shows and movies for being pot smokers and bending their every waking moment to weed in all its forms. Pot leaf stickers were sold in gas stations, logos, sunglasses, t-shirts, and more could be found on every beach boardwalk down the shores.

And that was only the beginning.

Since marijuana legalization has begun to take off, cannabis distilleries have started to sprout. Stores dedicated to legal weed, medical marijuana, and smoking/smokers’ tools and accessories are common topics of conversation. They can be found in a great many stories on the streets. And the smell of the drug seems to hang perpetually in the air of all kinds of stores now. It may not seem like it all the time.

Still, marijuana legalization has impacted much more of the general public and societal culture than we may have already realized.

Pop Culture May Love Heavy Cannabis Users, But Weed is Just Like Other Illicit Drugs

Yes, marijuana-related crimes and arrests have gone down exponentially since the drug’s legalization.

But just because weed is used and advertised in public settings now does not mean that the drug comes without its risks. Although marijuana is a popular drug to use in pop culture and medical circles these days to help individuals relax, relieve pain, and feel more at ease. Yet, cannabis should never be considered risk-free.

There are risks to using and misusing marijuana, whether it is legal to use the drug or not.

The Risks Involved with Cannabis Use

All right, you already know that cannabis is a mind-altering drug that people use for both medical and recreational purposes.

The fact that the drug can be used in medical practice has probably made you feel a little more secure about marijuana use, leading you to believe that it is a safe, harmless medication. But fentanyl is also a medication that works to help thousands of people in the U.S., which has life-threatening adverse effects when misused or in recreational settings.

Smoking Weed or Taking THC Products Does Not Come Without Risks

Weed may seem harmless, and for sure, it is often less traumatizingly severe than fentanyl. Still, cannabis does come with a series of side effects and risks that can be potentially life-altering.

What are these side effects, you ask?

Chronic Pain, Mental Health Issues, and Other Effects of Cannabis

Today, people like to say that marijuana has very few side effects. But, that statement cannot be farther from the truth.

Some of the most common side effects and risks involved with using weed infrequently or chronically include:

• Increased risk for developing or worsening depression
• Increase in anxiety upticks for most individuals
• Adverse effects on brain functioning, lowering I.Q. scores
• Fetal growth restriction (in women who smoked marijuana while pregnant)
• Slower reaction speeds
• Loss of coordination
• Concentration issues
• Developing psychotic episodes
• Fetal brain development issues
• Lung issues
• Throat issues
• Problems with teeth

And more. Marijuana, like other drugs and medications, affects everyone differently. But the risks involved with chronic use of weed are the same for everyone.

If you develop one of these conditions, you may only suffer from a mild case severity.

Are People Who Smoke Marijuana at Risk for Developing a Substance Addiction?

Still, with marijuana potency only getting stronger with every passing year, the likelihood of not experiencing potent adverse effects is rather slim.

What about severe forms of substance abuse, then? Marijuana is legal now in most States, so it cannot be classified as substance abuse simply for mild use. But is marijuana addictive? Can you develop a substance abuse disorder that leads to addiction to marijuana?

Yes. Like other drugs and medications, marijuana is addictive. One in every ten people who use weed regularly will become addicted to the substance. And even though most people do not consider marijuana use risky behavior anymore these days. Long-time cannabis has held a Schedule I substance classification by the government, determining the drug to be highly addictive and dangerous to public and individual health.

The fact that marijuana legalization has become a genuine concept does not make cannabis safe to use.

Is Weed Really That Bad?

In the end, you need to decide for yourself whether cannabis is worth the risk for use. Whether the drug is legal or not has no standing on what the drug can do to you, and it holds the potential for great harm.

Pop culture and medical marijuana have greatly jaded the thinking around the use of cannabis. Thus, prompting many to believe falsely that the drug is harmless. But when used too frequently, especially early on in life, cannabis use can have devastating effects on your mind and body.

Cannabis Pop Culture is Incredibly Misleading

The good news is that if you or a loved one finds yourself developing or having developed a marijuana addiction, there is hope for you to recover. Thousands of drug rehabilitation facilities exist across the nation.

Some of the best drug detox and rehab centers are located right in the heart of the Sunshine State, aka Florida.

Addiction Treatment at St. John’s Recovery Place

A rehab center in Florida, St. John’s Recovery Place (SJRP), offers clients a wide variety of treatment options to help them get back on their feet.

Marijuana addictions are genuine, authentic issues that can cause many health and mental problems. The safest, most successful way to recover from marijuana addiction is to attend a professional treatment center. Cannabis is a harmful drug that can take years of your life away from you. But you do not need to live your life as a slave to marijuana, pop culture, or any other type of addiction, and you can be free once again to live your life.

And SJRP can help you regain that freedom. If you or a loved one struggles with weed addiction, St. John’s is here to help, offering holistic treatment services from the start of rehab to the very end.

To contact St. John’s Recovery Place and learn more about our rehabilitative centers, you can call 1-833-397-3422 today.