Why legalising marijuana is high risk
Giving in to the nature of curiosity and easy availability of a line of substances, we fall prey to the gateway drug, more commonly called cannabis, ganja, maal, etc. It’s not only ideating a world of the non-serious concept of drugs but is also pushing us away from the scientific debate of why or why not. The debate around the legalisation of cannabis or marijuana is not new for our country; it has always been the talk of the town. It has once again surfaced in our newspapers and at the dinner table after a probable connection conjectured between cannabis and some popular faces of the Hindi film industry.
Like any debate, the ground has always seen two sides: advocates of legalisation, focus on the constitutional Article 21, defining personal choice and liberty, the expected economic benefits to the State through taxes, and medical benefits in cases of terminal illness and cancer patients.
Contradicting these, the other side emphasised the demerits of legalising an addictive substance, and pushing people closer to major mental health risks. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people who take regular doses of cannabis are seven times more likely to get schizophrenia, anxiety and depression. National Academy of Science and Engineering Technology — a US-based organisation, during their course of study, addressed that the use of cannabis can be dangerous for asthmatic patients, pregnant women or those susceptible to any mental disorder.
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 brought about a paradigm shift in the scenario of cannabis in India. Before the implementation of this act, the use of cannabis was legal. Thereafter, it was made not only illegal but also punishable. Given the quantity a person carries/holds at a given time, holding commercial quantity gets rigorous imprisonment for more than 10 years extendable to 20 years and a fine of Rs 1-2 lakh; intermediate quantity gets rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh; and small quantity gets rigorous imprisonment up to 6 months with fine up to Rs 10,000. Section 27 of the NDPS Act also gives immunity to non-repeated users who agree to get admitted to rehabilitation centres.
Cannabis plants need no special care, technique or fashion to grow in. They adorn the pavements of any unattended banks of water bodies, grow around unkempt roads or drains and one never has to work too much to find it either raw or processed, given the number of dealers there are. It is almost painful to see the ease of availability there is today.
Three major drugs are made from cannabis, namely — hash (charas) that is formed by the resin contained in flower buds, marijuana (weed/pot/maal/ganja), formed by crushing dried flower buds, and bhang that is formed by the fresh green leaves of the plant.
Chemically, two types of psychoactive components are present in cannabis, namely Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Both target the receptors of neurons. Consumption of CBD calms down the mind, giving it a feeling of relaxation. It is also used in a number of anti-anxiety medicines. THC, on the other hand, gives the person a feeling of high and clouded perception of reality, both affecting the person’s cognitive ability. A person feels good when the receptors in his/her brain receive endocannabinoids (one of the feel-good cannabinoids naturally released by the human body). Endocannabinoids are naturally released when we exercise or go for a run, making us have a lingering feel-good sensation, while CBD and THC are external cannabinoids feeding the same receptors.
A person regularly consuming cannabis faces difficulty in decision making, problem-solving and thinking critically. People also face short-term memory loss, coordination issues, other mental illnesses like psychosis and schizophrenia. Adolescents are more likely to get affected by such issues as they are on the cusp of development and are developing cognitive ability and critical thinking during this time.
Furthermore, various researchers have found a deep connection between the use of substances and the feeling of a void. A dopamine void is experienced when people do not have a lifestyle that stimulates their mental abilities or engage in activities that help them release enough dopamine, resulting in the feeling of loneliness, isolation, and finding external sources to feel fulfilled. People experiencing mental disorders are more likely to explore such substances in the times when they feel lonely or experience that void in their lives. The substance then takes control of the person’s mind. Subsequently, people tend to make a psychological and emotional bond with the substance in order to fill that void, which can be loosely referred to as dependence. Once a person’s brain starts craving a substance and feels the comfort of it, it might start to explore other substances too, which it may feel could help in filling that void, relieving pain, ease anxiety, trauma, triggers, etc. Hence cannabis can easily be referred to as a gateway drug.
Certain institutions, taking a positive stance, also talk about the benefits of marijuana — relieving nausea, pain relief, cancer aid, etc., which are strictly medical in nature. Doctors prescribe the usage of these drugs in predetermined and calculated dosage. Arbitrary usage of marijuana as propounded by the advocates of the legalisation of marijuana almost always leads to health degeneration rather than benefits.
The journey from usage to addiction is almost invisible to the person using the substance. It is so slippery and comfortable that one barely even notices before hitting rock bottom. Against popular belief, cannabis is an addictive substance. The brain develops a psychological and emotional dependence on cannabis. The body however does not feel physiological pain or craving for marijuana, in a way that it does for opioid-based drugs, methamphetamine or even alcohol. But the brain sometimes starts associating certain events with cannabis and it becomes difficult for the person to take part in them without its usage. Before the user realises their dependence on cannabis, they might be on the verge of mental health illnesses, introduction to other stronger substances, and a difficult road of recovery.
At the core of drug dependence, there is always a void. Discovering the void and filling it is an essential step in ending dependency.