Aside from legal drugs, such as alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, cannabis is the most widely used recreational drug in the world. Cannabis has a history dating back to the 28th century BC throughout which it has been used both medicinally and recreationally. Initially used in China for its medicinal qualities it quickly spread throughout the world and was put to a whole host of uses. This article aims to look at some of the short term effects that cannabis can have on recreational users.

Psychoactive

The best known short term effects of cannabis are those that are psychoactive. Psychoactive effects vary from person to person and use to use and generally are referred to as a 'high'. Some of these effects are typically perceived to be positive, such as: becoming relaxed, introspection, euphoria, increased creativity and heightened awareness of taste, colour and music. These are reasons that marijuana is so commonly used as a recreational drug. However not all of the psychoactive effects are positive; short term memory loss, anxiety and paranoia are all common side effects, particularly when high doses are consumed.

Somatic

Somatic effects are those that are manifested physically by the body. Cannabis use causes a range of short term somatic effects. Most of these are deemed to be negative, such as 'dry mouth' increased heart rate, bloodshot eyes and a feeling of pressure in the eyes. Cannabis use also causes muscle relaxation which can help relieve pain in MS patients and is one of the main reasons that it is still used medicinally.

Added Substances

As cannabis is illegal throughout the majority of the world there is no regulating of the quality of the product. Unscrupulous dealers are common and will often add extra substances to cannabis when it is in resin form, or add glass beads to the dried flowers which make the plant both weigh more and appear to have an increased quantity of THC crystals. These added chemicals can often add or alter side effects and users need to be extremely careful of what they are ingesting.

Duration

The length of time that cannabis effects last for can vary greatly based on the concentrations of THC (delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol; the most active chemical in the plant) and the method of consumption. When marijuana is smoked the effects will typically take effect within a few minutes, peak in the first hour and completely pass within 3-5 hours. If the cannabis is eaten effects can take between one and two hours to kick in and will generally be longer lasting than if the drug is smoked.

Like most drugs cannabis has a range of side effects which are both positive and negative. In many countries it is perfectly legal to purchase and possess cannabis seeds, however, unless they are prescribed medical seeds (which are legal in a select number of countries and states), it is illegal to grow the plant or use it as a drug.