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Marihuana prensada ('pressed marijuana') is a cannabis-derived product widespread among the lower classes of South America, [189] especially from the 90s. Locally it is known as "paraguayo" or "paragua", since its main producer is Paraguay. [190] Marijuana is dried and mixed with binding agents that make it toxic and highly harmful to health. [191]
Cannabis also has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug known by several slang terms, such as marijuana, pot or weed. Various cannabis strains have been bred, often selectively to produce high or low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a cannabinoid and the plant's principal psychoactive constituent .
The CBD drug Epidiolex has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, [59] Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. [ 60 ] Nabilone (Cesamet) is an FDA approved synthetic analog of THC, prescribed for the treatment of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy treatment in people who ...
Psychoactive drugs operate by temporarily affecting a person's neurochemistry, which in turn causes changes in a person's mood, cognition, perception and behavior. There are many ways in which psychoactive drugs can affect the brain. Each drug has a specific action on one or more neurotransmitter or neuroreceptor in the brain.
It may be easy to assume that cannabis use causes psychosis. But evidence suggests there are several other plausible connections, write David Nathan and Peter Grinspoon
While psychoactive drugs are typically categorized as stimulants, depressants, or hallucinogens, cannabis exhibits a mix of all of these effects. Scientific studies have suggested that other cannabinoids like CBD may also play a significant role in its psychoactive effects. [48] [49] [50]
As a psychoactive drug, cannabis continues to find extensive favor among recreational and medical users in the U.S. [14] [15] As of 2023, twenty-four states, three U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use of cannabis. Thirty-eight states, four U.S. territories, and D.C. have legalized medical use of the drug.
Over time, the marijuana gateway hypothesis has been studied more and more. In one published study, the use of marijuana was shown not a reliable gateway cause of illicit drug use. [68] However, social factors and environment influence drug use and abuse, making the gateway effects of cannabis different for those in differing social circumstances.