Disclaimer: My views on cannabis are strong. Some of my friends, whom I respect, disagree with me on this article and think that I overblow the risks while disregarding the potential benefits, particularly the introspection weed can sometimes offer. I have never had a good experience with it, so this article may be unfairly negatively biased.
During the COVID pandemic, a friend of mine started to smoke a lot of weed. I have not seen him for months due to lockdown. When I met him again, he claimed that he had finally found the root cause for his emotional issues: “I am not the biological child of my father.” Even though he and everyone in his family is a complete look-alike, he was dead sure. He seemed to be getting progressively weirder.
In my opinion, the dangers of weed are often downplayed, in part because the drug is so insidious.
I have a handful of friends who had a weed problem in the past. While using it, every single one self-justified to the point it became ridiculous. After stopping, every single one was much better off mentally, physically, and with life in general, and every single one wished he/she stopped sooner.
A friend of mine said that the biggest issue with weed was that it made him feel “content with mediocrity”. Problems temporarily vanished and life stopped being shitty. Even though the psychological escape was great at times, the price was a trade-off with his future life, stumbling towards failure and regret.
His addiction was mostly a form of escapism and negative reinforcement, or at least it started this way before neuropathological repercussions made everything worse.
By acting as an “opioidergic enhancer”, it left him “content”. However, frequent THC consumption tilts the pleasure-pain balance. Baseline activity in endorphin pathways (“feel-good” pathways) is downregulated and the counter-regulatory upregulation in the dynorphin/kappa-opioid system causes anxiety, anhedonia, and dysphoria. This rebound dysphoria and anxiety were perhaps the biggest reason he had a hard time stopping. In fact, a lot of psychiatrists believe marijuana worsens anxiety over the long term.
THC also interferes with many aspects of cognition, both in the short as well as long term. Things are even worse for people who start smoking weed in adolescence while the brain is still undergoing significant neuroplastic changes. Users consistently show functional and structural abnormalities compared to non-smoking controls.
These brain changes are correlated to (much) lower IQs, worse attention, reduced impulse control, and impaired executive functions. So, the saying that “weed makes people dumb” is not too far off.
Regular THC consumption is also known to mess up the dopamine system. While THC causes increased dopamine release acutely, long-term use is associated with a blunted dopaminergic response.
This so-called “amotivational syndrome” (as it is known among researchers and psychiatrists) was blatantly obvious in everyone I know who had been smoking weed multiple times per week for a longer amount of time – it did not matter whether they used sativa or indica strains.
In addition, THC can cause low testosterone. In the same way opioids do, THC consumption decreases HPTA-axis activity, and consequently, testosterone levels, which comes with its own set of consequences.
If all this is not enough, THC can also cause more severe psychiatric issues. A psychiatrist friend claims that he has seen several patients for whom THC may not just have triggered but, in his opinion, actually caused episodes of depersonalization, derealization, and even psychosis.
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In general, about 30% of users with an acute psychotic breakdown have heavy THC-(ab)use in their medical history.
Even though correlation does not equal causation, there is strong experimental evidence to suggest that THC alters synaptogenesis and retrograde neuronal signaling in such a way that large-scale aberrant pruning (a dysfunctional cutting away of synapses) occurs in the neocortex – especially if cannabis is consumed while the brain is still developing.
Correlation + experiment = strong indicator for causation.
In sum (and in my opinion), marijuana is a terrible drug and for most people, the downsides outweigh the upsides. At least for people I know who use or use it, it made their life worse (in the long run) – this also includes a decrease in subjective well-being other than the short temporary spike in “contentment”.
What about medicinal marijuana? Even though the science is weak, it has some data to be effective for nausea and weight gain but that’s mostly it. Long-term use increases anxiety. and presumably worsens depression, degenerates cognition, and increases the risk for psychotic episodes.
Most of the molecules discussed on this website are, in my opinion, in the totality of their effects “better” and “healthier” for the brain, health, happiness, and life.
However, quitting is tough. Some friends have told me that switching to CBD to preserve habit and flavor helped with tapering. Three of my friends also had success with bupropion. Furthermore, some researchers hypothesize that regular endurance training helps with the recovery of the endocannabinoid system. There is also its own Reddit group for people wanting to stop smoking weed, which has useful advice and anecdotes: r/leaves.
A question I often get from friends: Is very occasional use of THC (e.g., once every two weeks) fine? In my opinion, it probably is (but only after the age of 20-25), in the same way that occasionally drinking alcohol is. However, when it comes to weed, it rarely remains “very occasional” for long.
So, why is this substance on a list of stimulants? For many people, stopping weed is the only stimulant they need.
Sources & further information
- Scientific review: Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases
- Scientific review: Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use
- Anecdotes: r/Leaves – A support community to help stop smoking cannabis, marijuana, pot, weed, edibles, or getting high.
Disclaimer
The content available on this website is based on the author’s individual research, opinions, and personal experiences. It is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes and does not constitute medical advice. The author does not endorse the use of supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, or hormones without the direct oversight of a qualified physician. People should never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they have read on the internet.