It is not a surprise to hear there is evidence that cannabis usage
has detrimental effects on health, especially mental health. However I
think we should consider cannabis use in the same way that we consider
alcohol use. Substance abuse has a negative impact on health but substance
usage in moderation may not. We know that if one drinks 6 pints of lager
each evening there are many negative effects. However a glass of wine each
evening has been said to be good for you. It is possible that the same may
be true of cannabis. Perhaps there are positive effects of consuming small
amounts of cannabis on occasion and certainly it is likely there are
negative effects from being under it's influence on a regular basis. It
would be interesting to research other effects of cannabis usage and see
if a line can be drawn between usage in moderation and abusive use.
Rapid Response:
What about moderation
It is not a surprise to hear there is evidence that cannabis usage
has detrimental effects on health, especially mental health. However I
think we should consider cannabis use in the same way that we consider
alcohol use. Substance abuse has a negative impact on health but substance
usage in moderation may not. We know that if one drinks 6 pints of lager
each evening there are many negative effects. However a glass of wine each
evening has been said to be good for you. It is possible that the same may
be true of cannabis. Perhaps there are positive effects of consuming small
amounts of cannabis on occasion and certainly it is likely there are
negative effects from being under it's influence on a regular basis. It
would be interesting to research other effects of cannabis usage and see
if a line can be drawn between usage in moderation and abusive use.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests