THC
Getting a Higher Education in Canada
As of October 2018, Cannabis
for recreational use has been legalized in Canada. This means that millions of
Canadians will regain access to this once forbidden plant, allowing them to
continue to use it as it has been used, and cultivated by humans for over
14,000 years.1 The controversies over Cannabis has been abundant,
and it is still considered an illegal substance in many parts of the world. Marijuana
is the third most frequently abused drug in the world, right after alcohol and
tobacco, and it is the main illegal drug of abuse.2 Therefor, it is
crucial to understand why Canada has made this switch to legalization. Part of
this switch is due to better understanding of the chemical make up of Cannabis,
especially tetrahydrocannabinol or better known as THC.
THC is the main chemical responsible for
the psychoactive effects Cannabis has on people. It actually needs to be
vaporized or burned to become active. This means that in order to receive its
effects it needs to be smoked or turned into a consumable oil. This oil is
extracted by boiling Cannabis buds in pure ethanol until all the alcohol is
evaporated.
This chemical has more benefits than just
making you feel ‘high’, as different people react to it differently. This means
that while the drug may help some with pain relief, nausea, insomnia, and
depression, it can also make some people feel anxious and disoriented.3
There is also the risk of developing a dependence or addiction to marijuana after
prolonged use. Roughly 1 in 11 people that smoke weed regularly for over 4
years will develop an addiction.4 This could become a serious social
problem in the near future with the increase of recreational Cannabis users in
Canada.
Thus, it is important to receive ‘Higher
Education’ to understand the benefits, risks and drawbacks of this psychoactive
chemical. By understanding how it effects our physiology it, we can dispute, or
sometimes enforce, some of the controversies revolving around this natural
chemical.
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