Some pros and cons of Cannabis ’high’ science for Guyana

Aug 12, 2018 Countryman, Features / Columnists

---

By Dennis Nichols

Ever heard of high science? No, not the kind linked with the metaphysical realm; it’s the science behind human use of one of the world’s oldest and most poorly-understood species of flora – Cannabis sativa, or plain old marijuana. It has less to do with a spaced-out brain, and more with the heights that could be achieved medically by this common ‘weed’. But caution Guyana, for what is seen as a soul-healing wonder by many is seen as a soul-strangling demon by others.

While we in Guyana are considering how to get a handle on its use, abuse, and legal status, other countries appear to be taking several quantum leaps ahead in the research, control, and benefits of the plant once called the ‘killer weed’ and ‘the assassin of youth’. It is presently the most commonly-used (but still illegal) drug in the world with over 200,000,000 users globally.

Let me start with a personal experience. Beginning in 1975, I used marijuana maybe six times in my life, with very little effect – except for my first experience when I was 22. Preparing with a group of CPCE guys to go to a party, I tried a joint, then maybe half of another, before going to take a  shower at about 8:00 pm. The first ‘something’s-not-quite-right’ sign was that I forgot to take my towel with me.

In the bathroom, I experienced mild hallucinations. I first ‘saw’ persons in the shower with me. Then I closed my eyes for a few seconds and when I opened them, the bathroom walls were moving, closing in on me. That’s when I freaked out a bit and ran back into the room where my friends were. Laughter erupted.

Soon I was dancing with a radio pressed against my ear. Suddenly I burst into tears, imagining that my mother, who had died three years earlier, was watching me, and that I had somehow betrayed the bond we had shared in life by engaging in a practice I knew she would never have condoned.

As I dressed to go out, I felt a strange, disjointed sensation in my arm while futilely trying to lace my shoes. I laughed a lot. But the weirdest thing was later on, how time stretched out. What happened seconds ago seemed like hours, or  like a dream memory. We went to the party, and after returning home I slept well, despite the fact that I already suffered from insomnia. One notable aspect was that despite the distorted perceptions, I was aware of everything that was going on, and of the cause.

So when medical researchers warn about the effects of marijuana on the developing brain, I have an idea what they’re talking about. At 22, as I learnt later, brain-wiring may still be in progress, and the vital prefrontal cortex, which handles problem-solving and decision-making, is still maturing. With such warnings, and my own experience, it isn’t difficult to understand what heavy and/or prolonged marijuana use can do to a young mind.

This is especially telling, since what most young Guyanese smoke appears to be ‘ordinary’ marijuana which has, as its main active ingredient, the stuff that gets you high – tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. It’s one of maybe 100 chemical compounds produced by the plant, that cause the effects so many people experience. Another is cannabidiol, or CBD, which is a non-psychoactive compound, meaning it does not have an intoxicating effect. Most of the recreational ‘weed’ we get here has more THC than CBD.

Medical science (and the web source Cannabis-Education) tells how THC plugs perfectly into our body’s receptors that deal with thinking, remembering things, feeling pleasure, coordination, and the perception of how much time has passed. Many users feel relaxed and happy to the point of euphoria. But, they add, people who don’t tolerate the compound very well, can experience elevated heart rate and induced anxiety attacks, if prone to them.

Although THC seems like CBD’s evil twin, it is being investigated for its beneficial uses. Both compounds interact with the cannabinoid receptors and can mimic chemicals naturally produced in the brain that do the same. Research shows that THC appears to ease nausea, stop vomiting, and stimulate appetite, which makes it suitable for persons undergoing cancer treatment or living with AIDS.

An important point noted is that THC content may vary from one plant to the next depending on how it is grown. For example, it is said that if a grower isolates female plants away from the males, leaving the female tops unfertilized, it will result in marijuana with an extremely high THC content, like the potent sensimila some users crave. I don’t know exactly what strains we get here in Guyana, but if it’s anything similar, I’m assuming that it could have distinctly negative effects on young people prone to mental illness.

With regard to violence, research and researchers differ, some sharply, as they try to figure if there are causal links between marijuana and aggression. But even those who suggest a link, list a number of variables that could muddy the connection, such as socioeconomic status and personality traits which predispose users to violence.

Nevertheless, according to ‘Psychology Today’ a 50-year study in England did find causal links between cannabis and violent behaviour, while others found a connection to psychosis. Not surprisingly, a similar study found that Cannabis use increases violent behaviour in young people – but only in those who already suffered from mental disorders.

Other studies suggest a quite different scenario – ‘Clinical Psychology Review’ recently published that Cannabis can likely benefit people dealing with social anxiety, PTSD, and depression, three global mental health issues. A 2016 Time Magazine article adds arthritis and opioid addiction to the list, and scientists are currently investigating marijuana’s role as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, Tourette’s Syndrome, and Epilepsy.

Historically, according to a National Geographic article, marijuana has been ‘around humankind pretty much forever’. The Chinese used it as a medicine thousands of years ago, and charred seeds found in Siberian burial mounds suggesting spiritual use, date back to 3000 years B.C., according to the publication.

In America, where negative publicity peaked in the 1930s, cannabis was legal for most of its history, and used medicinally for more than 100 conditions up until then. But the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act criminalized its possession and use in the U.S. and the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 listed it as a Schedule 1 drug, with no medical uses and a high potential for abuse.

Yet in a 2016 report on annual causes of death in the U.S., there were zero marijuana-related deaths as compared to 33,171 alcohol-induced deaths, 22,134 involving pharmaceutical drugs, and 16,651 involving pharmaceutical opioids. And although marijuana was implicated as the drug most often linked to crime in the United States, many arrests were for small quantities intended for personal use, according to a New York Times report.

Where Guyana and the Caribbean are concerned, the Caricom Commission on Marijuana recently recommended the decriminalization of marijuana in Caricom member states, and for it to be regulated as a controlled substance only, like alcohol and tobacco. With Jamaica leading the way, governments are set to consider serious legal reforms that could see among other things, past injustices retroactively corrected. (Guyana could have some prime cases)

So this is how I see it balancing out – Marijuana, like human nature, has its good side and its bad reputation; its merits depend on our conscious actions to discover and utilize whatever benefits the plant possesses. For recreational use and decriminalization, think liberal, but proceed with caution; for continued research on how it affects the human body and its potential for medical application, full steam ahead. Because, who knows what the future holds, and to what ‘heights’ it may take us.

(Next week (Guyanese, CBD & medical marijuana)

---

---