Cannabis Use Disorder: Short-Term, Long-Term Effects, & Australia Data

This report explores cannabis use disorder, examining its effects, both short-term and long-term, including increased appetite, anxiety, and potential for respiratory problems. It highlights the impact on brain development during adolescence and the risk of mental health issues. The report provides insights into cannabis use in Australia, including prevalence, trends, and public perceptions. It also discusses the challenges faced by individuals with cannabis dependence and the importance of seeking professional help. The report references relevant studies and emphasizes treatment options such as psychological support and interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy to help individuals manage and overcome cannabis use disorder. The data indicates that cannabis is the most widely used drug with 3.8 percent of adult population using it at least once in 2017, and in Australia, cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug.

Cannabis use issues
Some people depend on cannabis and some experience
withdrawal symptoms like low appetite, mood swings
and irritability when not using cannabis. As stated by
National Institute of Drug Abuse, individuals who started
using the drug before 18 years of age are more possibly
to develop cannabis use disorder. It also creates
respiratory problems as smoking cannabis is similar to
smoking tobacco (Bonomo & et. al., (2018). It is
associated with bronchitis and may develop chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease. Use Disorder Pocket
Guide
Cannabis
Cannabis is defined as a
psychoactive drug which is used
primarily for recreational and
medicinal purpose. The drug is
getting from three plants group
including cannabis indica, cannabis
ruderalis and cannabis sativa. It is
usually consumed for calming and
relaxing effects. Cannabis is also
prescribed to assist with various
medical conditions involving poor
appetite, glaucoma and chronic
pain. There are over 120
components from which cannabis is
made, these are called cannabinoids
(Myles, Myles, & Large, (2016).
Short term effects
It has some short-term effects including increased
appetite, giddiness, focus and creativity, relaxation,
altered perception of events in time etc. However, the
drug has some problematic side effects including
lethargy, anxiety, coordination issues, nausea, decreased
blood pressure, increased heart rate, paranoia, delayed
reaction time etc.
Long term effects
Cannabis also has some long-term effects on individuals
who use it. According to a research, it has been found
that the potential influence of drug is on development of
brain when utilized during adolescence. People who
started using cannabis in their teen age tend to have more
learning and memory issues. They may also have high
risk mental health problems including schizophrenia.
Cannabis Use Disorder

Facts related to cannabis
In Australia, cannabis is the widely used illicit drug and
was second common drug type determined at toxicology
for accident deaths in year 2016. The use of cannabis
among Australian people remained stable between year
2001 and 2016. In comparison to other illicit drugs,
Australians use cannabis more frequently, i.e., 36%. In
year 2016, around 85% of Australian people favoured
cannabis use in medical settings, increasing from 69
percent in year 2013. There has been rising tolerance for
continuous adult use of cannabis among Australian
population, increasing from 9.8% to 14.5% in year 2013
to 2016 (Cannabis Use in Australia, 2020). In year 2017-
18, majority of national illicit drug arrest and seizures
were for cannabis. It is the most widely used drug of the
world with yearly prevelence of 3.8 percent of adult
population having use cannabis once in year 2017.
References
Lintzeris, N., & et. al., (2018).
Medicinal cannabis in Australia,
2016: the cannabis as medicine
survey (CAMS‐16). Medical
Journal of Australia, 209(5),
pp.211-216.
Myles, H., Myles, N. & Large, M.,
(2016). Cannabis use in first episode
psychosis: Meta-analysis of
prevalence, and the time course of
initiation and continued
use. Australian & New Zealand
Journal of Psychiatry, 50(3),
pp.208-219.
Bonomo, Y., & et. al., (2018).
Clinical issues in cannabis
use. British journal of clinical
pharmacology, 84(11), 2495-2498.
Cannabis Use in Australia, 2020.
[Online]. Available through:
<https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/a
lcohol/alcohol-tobacco-other-drugs-
australia/contents/drug-types/
cannabis
Ways to help students
Over the time, the public perceptions about use of
cannabis in Australia have been changed. There was
significant decline found in proportion of Australian
people reporting cannabis as first drug. The people who
experience dependence on cannabis do not seek for help.
They do not believe that they require treatment and have
low awareness regarding the available treatment options
and the way to access them. People can take support of
psychologist to overcome from the issue (Lintzeris & et.
al., (2018). the interventions like motivational
enhancement and cognitive behavioural therapy,
pharmacological interventions help in reducing the effect
of cannabis and support people in improving their lives.