The legalisation of cannabis in the United States has brought a flurry of interest among the medical and scientific community.
But what happens when people are not being able to access cannabis?
This is the question being asked in a new series of articles published by the International Journal of Medical Research, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by The Lancet.
In this piece, Dr Michael Salfour explores the social consequences of cannabis prohibition in a country that has already seen its economy and social landscape devastated.
The report outlines a range of scenarios in which cannabis could have positive social and economic outcomes.
However, Dr Salfor argues that while these scenarios might be possible, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be looked at on an individual basis.
“People will look at these scenarios in a different way to the way they looked at it previously,” he says.
“The way people look at it now, the idea of using cannabis in a socially acceptable way would be seen as a very positive thing.”
But, in the long term, the consequences are likely to be negative.
“The report notes that although there are currently few studies about the long-term health effects of cannabis, there are clear health impacts from its use.”
We are seeing a rise in cases of anxiety, depression, and anxiety-related symptoms, which could be related to cannabis use,” it says.
Dr Salford points out that there are also serious social costs to cannabis prohibition, including increased violence, a decline in employment opportunities and a loss of tax revenue.”
These costs are borne by the individual as well as society,” he explains.”
If cannabis is not legalised in the US, the social costs are likely even higher.
“Many of these costs are already borne by young people who are already burdened with a history of drug and alcohol use, and are in the midst of an expensive adolescence,” he adds.
The paper also examines the potential social benefits of medical cannabis.
“Some of the research has shown that cannabis can be an effective treatment for severe depression and anxiety, as well an effective analgesic for some forms of epilepsy,” it explains.
It notes that there is also growing evidence that cannabis may have beneficial effects in the treatment of certain forms of PTSD.
“This research is important because it has shown potential benefits of cannabis as a treatment for PTSD, but also has important questions about its safety,” Dr Solfor says.
These benefits, he adds, are in part due to the fact that cannabis is relatively safe, as it contains a low level of THC, a psychoactive compound that acts as an intoxicating agent.
“For example, it does not cause psychosis, so it does have no harmful effects,” he points out.
But it is clear that cannabis prohibition is also a significant social barrier to the health of its users.
“It’s a very socially and economically burdensome situation for many people, as there is a stigma attached to using cannabis,” he continues.
“There is a huge social cost in terms of the stigma, and the fear of prosecution.”
Dr Solfour argues that the way cannabis is used in the country can have an impact on the way people think about cannabis, which is a very complex topic.
“As people think of cannabis and how it’s used, they might assume it’s illegal and therefore not a good idea, or they might think that it’s not a medical use and therefore don’t need to be regulated,” he said.
“So, it is important that cannabis users are aware that their use of cannabis can have important health benefits, but that people should take care in deciding how and when they use cannabis.”
