On Oct. 17, Canada became the first country in North America to legalize cannabis on a national scale.
Here’s a breakdown from the Charlatan on how the now-legal drug may affect you.
Effect on the brain and health
Alfonso Abizaid, a neuroscience professor at Carleton University, said while research shows that in some cases cannabis can be very harmful, in other cases it can be helpful.
“[With] general anxiety . . . the issue is that you feel paralyzed, so maybe taking marijuana, just a little—it can really help,” he said. “We didn’t know how before, but now we can really study these effects.”
Abizaid said when cannabis was a controlled substance, it was difficult to do extensive research on it.
A 2014 study by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, says the current knowledge is inferred from animal studies.
The main psychoactive component of cannabis (known as THC) induces toxicity that’s dependent on the dose, and causes structural changes in the brain, according to the study.
The results showed that the duration of exposure to the drug is associated with developing substance use disorders, and poor decision making.
Abizaid said now that the drug is legal, it will allow him to better study THC, which, when bonded with brain cells, causes the “high.”
He said when he was of university age, the THC content in cannabis was around six or eight per cent.
“Now, the streets’ samples we’re seeing—they’re often 20 to 25 per cent.” Abizaid said. “THC is the active ingredient, we know that . . . but too much THC can cause lethargy, so it’s now about finding that right level.”
School Performance
The aforementioned study says long-term exposure has been linked to reduced memory performance.
A fourth-year neuroscience student at Carleton University, who asked to be anonymous, said the legalization will have an impact on his consumption habits.
“It’s never been a problem getting weed before, but now . . . honestly, I probably will smoke more,” he said.
The student said he doesn’t use it to help him study.
“It mellows me out too much. I usually smoke after my body has gone through, like, physical stress, like an exam,” he said.
A 2018 study by Montreal’s Ste-Justine Hospital has shown that cannabis use, even infrequent use, can affect cognitive skill, which is important in succeeding in school.
The research followed 3,826 Canadian adolescents for four years and observed their year-to-year relationship between substance use and found that their memory, perception, reasoning, and inhibition abilities were generally poorer.
The Carleton student said he tried studying while high but he couldn’t focus.
“So, I do it more recreationally while still prioritizing school because obviously, school comes first,” he said.
Driving impairment
Abizaid said driving high delays reaction time.
“If you drive a car or a truck or operate heavy machinery . . . don’t smoke,” he said.
According to the Ontario government website, driving impaired by cannabis is illegal and dangerous.
If police officers find an individual impaired by any drug, including cannabis, will face serious penalties, including: licence suspension, financial penalties, possible criminal record and possible jail time.
Right now, post-secondary schools across the country have taken a restrictive approach on cannabis use on campus, except the University of British Columbia.
Photo by Spencer Colby
