Cannabis is a drug produced from the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. It contains over 400 chemicals including THC, which is the main psychoactive ingredient. Cannabis is most commonly used recreationally by smoking but may also be consumed through food, tea, or other methods. It produces effects like relaxation, altered perception, increased appetite, and in some cases anxiety or paranoia. There is some evidence it may help medical conditions like nausea, MS symptoms, and pain, but more research is still needed on safety and efficacy. Heavy or long term cannabis use can increase risks of mental health issues like psychosis.

1. Reported by:
Santiago, Matt
Garcia, Kaiser
Dagangon, Cleofe
Fulgencio, Sophia
Pernejo, Klarize

2. I. What is cannabis?
Cannabis is a drug produced from the Cannabis
sativa (commonly known as hemp) or Cannabis indica
plant, which is related to nettles and hops. It's believed
to have originated in the mountainous regions of India,
and grows wild in many parts of the world.
The plant contains more than 400 chemicals,
including cannabidiolic acid, an antibiotic with similar
properties to penicillin. The different chemical
derivatives of the plant can be used for medicinal or
recreational purposes.
The recreational drug cannabis comes in many
forms – herbal (dried plant material), resin, powder and
oil - and is known by many slang terms, including
weed, pot, grass and hash. In the UK, cannabis is a
Class B illegal drug.

3. II. Effects and uses of cannabis Cannabis is most widely used as a illegal street drug for
its relaxing properties. It is usually rolled into a
cigarette known as a joint, but can also be smoked in a
pipe, brewed as a tea or mixed with food.
 The main active ingredient in cannabis is
tetrahydrocannabino (THC). One type, skunk, can be
particularly potent as it contains two to three time as
much THC as other types.
 Cannabis acts as a mild sedative, leaving most people
feeling relaxed, chilled out or just sleepy. It also:
 Has mild hallucinogenic effects, causing a distortion of
reality
 Makes some people become more animated
 Releases inhibitions, making people talkative or giggly
 Can cause nausea in some people (despite the fact that
cannabis can have an anti-nausea effect), while it quite
often makes others feel hungry

4. III. Medical uses of cannabis
Cannabis or its derivatives may also be used as
a medical treatment. There is some scientific
evidence to suggest it may be useful in a wide range
of conditions. But the complex nature of the
substances contained within the plant makes it
difficult for medical research to establish the safety
or efficacy in its natural form, so its effects are far
from proven or well-understood. As scientists are
interested in the possible therapeutic properties of
cannabis, they are working to gradually identify the
active chemicals within (these chemicals are known
collectively as cannabinoids). Cannabinoids
activate a number of receptors throughout the body
but especially in the central nervous system and the
immune system, and so may have several effects

5. Wide-scale trials testing the safety and efficacy of these
cannabis extracts (or synthetic forms of them) are currently
underway in the UK and elsewhere. So far there has been
interest in the use of cannabinoids in nausea and vomiting,
appetite, control of cancer symptoms, pain, anxiety and
muscle spasticity.
For instance, cannabis appears to be able to help reduce
the side effects of chemotherapy treatment, although not
more so than other already established medications. The
drugs used to treat cancer are among the most powerful, and
most toxic, used in medicine. They produce unpleasant side
effects, such as days or weeks of vomiting and nausea after
each treatment. Some cannabinoids relieve nausea and allow
patients to eat and live normally.
Cannabis extracts also seem to benefit people suffering
from multiple sclerosis (MS), by reducing muscle spasticity
and so increasing their ability to stay independent. The first
cannabinoid medicine derived from whole plant extracts
(from the cannabis sativa plant) came into use in the UK in
2010 for people with moderate to severe spasticity in MS who
haven't responded to other treatments. Unlike recreational
cannabis, this treatment doesn't cause euphoria - less than
3% of those in trials for the drug said it changed their mood.

6. Claims have also been made for its use
in treating:
 Migraine
 Headaches
 Asthma
 Strokes
 Parkinson's disease
 Alzheimer's disease
 Alcoholism
 Insomnia

7. IV. Risks of cannabis
There's increasing evidence that cannabis use is
linked to a number of health risks. It damages the
ability to concentrate, decreases motivation and more
than occasional use in teenagers can affect
psychological development. Users can become
anxious, suspicious and even paranoid. Heavy use
increases the risk of serious psychiatric illness.
Users of skunk, a stronger and increasingly more
available form of cannabis, are seven times more likely
to develop a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia,
than people not using cannabis or using the more
traditional forms. Cannabis also interferes with
coordination, causing problems with balance, walking
and driving.

8. There are other side effects of the drug, but they
vary considerably and are less predictable, partly
because cannabis has more than 400 active
ingredients. They may include effects on the heart,
such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, and
damage to fertility. People who smoke cannabis are
also exposed to the toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke.
People may become dependent on cannabis and
find it difficult to stop using it, experiencing
unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if they do stop such
as cravings, agitation, mood changes, sleep problems,
appetite disturbance and other symptoms.
The debate over the use of cannabis in medicine is
highly controversial and emotive. Supporters of the
drug claim it has wide-ranging benefits, but
opponents say it is a potentially dangerous substance
that can actually damage health.

9. V. Examples of Cannabis:
 Marijuana-marijuana actually works to slow down
tumor growth in the lungs, breasts; the drug can
impair or reduce short-term memory, alter sense of
time and reduce ability to do things which require
concentration, swift reactions, and coordination, such
as driving a car or operating machinery

10.  Hash-Form of relaxation, Treats glaucoma; Loss of
motivation, Weakens immune system