Cannabis

Like alcohol, cannabis is a widespread substance that has been used as a useful and medicinal plant for thousands of years. For a long time, consumption as an intoxicating agent in Europe played no role. Since the 1990s, cannabis use has increased sharply. The various variants of cannabis such as hashish or marijuana are established as intoxicants and rank third after alcohol and tobacco in the consumption of psychoactive substances. This is despite the fact that cannabis falls under the Narcotics Law in Germany and many other countries and is therefore – with the exception of medical use – illegal. The physical and psychological consequences of smoking cannabis should not be underestimated. Because already with the first use of Cannabis it can come dose-independently if necessary to a psychosis, with irreversible impairments for many years.

Consequences of long-term cannabis use

• Impairment of cognitive performance (attention, concentration, learning ability).
• Impairment of lung function due to smoking cannabis, which is usually consumed with tobacco.
• Development of psychological and mild physical dependence.
• Seclusion.
• Problems coping with everyday life.
• Listlessness.
• Depressive moods.
• Increased tendency to develop psychotic symptoms.
• The earlier one starts to smoke, the more dangerous the effects on the partly not yet fully developed brains of children and adolescents become.
• All in all, a mental, cognitive and emotional flattening is possible after only a short time.

Signs of cannabis dependence

• Signs of physical withdrawal symptoms when consumption is reduced or renounced, such as restlessness, nervousness, anxiety or depression.
• Intense desire to consume, even in the absence of physical withdrawal symptoms.
• Addiction to cannabis is physically much less severe than, for example, alcohol or other drugs, but mental dependence varies depending on the consumer.
• It varies considerably depending on the psychosocial risk factors of the user.

Counselling and therapy options

Since the consequences of cannabis addiction sometimes do not seem to have as strong an impact as, for example, alcohol addiction, it is often too late to go to a doctor or to a counselling centre for those affected. Relatives have an important role to play here, as they can make people aware that their use is questionable and that they are worried. Of course, the counselling centre also helps with problems related to cannabis use. A contact point would be the addiction counselling of Caritas Passau.

Studicare offers online training to help people reduce their use of cannabis.