Research and Studies

Abstract Cannabis is the most commonly abused drug in the world. In Egypt, the Anti Narcotic General Administration showed that the narcotics problem costs the Egyptian economy approximately 800 million dollars annually. LD50, lethal dose that kills 50% of the treated animals, of the bango was determined and then selected groups of rats were given tenth of LD50 for 90 days.
All over the world, there is growing interest in the part played by drugs in traffic accidents, and how to investigate adequate measures to reduce their incidence.2 Africa is the second largest producer of herbal cannabis in the world.3 In Egypt, drug addiction is considered one of the serious problems that worry both people and government. It affects young people within their productive years. It may lead to many problems such as social maladaptation, decreased works productivity and job loss.4 ‘Bango’ is the name of cannabis leaves used in Egypt and North Africa.5
Conclusion In conclusion, the present study revealed the bad effects of the bango plant on different organs in animals. Bango abuse leads to severe effects on different organs and this may subsequently lead to apoptosis and fibrosis of the organs, and this depends mainly on the dose and duration of administration.

The evidence presented in this review allows us to conclude that Δ9-THC and CBD produce biphasic, dose-dependent effects on several physiological responses. The biphasic nature of cannabinoid effects highlights the need for a careful analysis of the dose ranges separating therapeutic from unwanted effects. Besides, Δ9-THC produces dependence and harmful effects, while CBD does not.
The available pharmaceutical formulations of these phytocannabinoids and related molecules have clear therapeutic effects; however, more research is needed to assure their efficacy and safety since their effects are complex. Several additional potential therapeutic applications, mainly for CBD, are being proposed which, however, still lack sufficient clinical and preclinical support. For this reason, caution is advised when using or prescribing cannabinoids.
Additional consideration deserves the fact that the ECS participates in the development of the central nervous system98. Therefore, the use of cannabinoid-based formulations for the medical treatment of children and adolescents experiencing brain developmental changes must be carefully examined, balancing the pros and cons of prescribing cannabinoid-based medications in every single case. Cannabis research field is expanding with the identification of new molecular targets, the characterization of undescribed phytocannabinoids, and novel findings related to the ECS99. In addition, consumption of synthetic cannabinoids as drugs of abuse represents a new challenge in addiction research100.

Conclusions and relevance: This study suggests that prenatal cannabis exposure and its correlated factors are associated with greater risk for psychopathology during middle childhood. Cannabis use during pregnancy should be discouraged.     

Findings  This meta-analysis of 20 studies of 1459 individuals found a significant pain reduction in response to placebo in cannabinoid randomized clinical trials. Media attention was proportionally high, with a strong positive bias, yet not associated with the clinical outcomes.
Meaning  These findings suggest that placebo has a significant association with pain reduction as seen in cannabinoid clinical trials, and the positive media attention may shape placebo responses in future trials.

In summary, much of the available evidence supports the criteria of strength, consistency, biological gradient, and temporality for cannabis causing psychosis. Furthermore, supporting specificity, while many substances are known to induce psychosis, the risk for conversion to schizophrenia is greatest with cannabis-induced psychosis.

After screening 11,348 potential studies....These results demonstrate a moderate association between cannabis use and physical violence, which remained significant regardless of study design and adjustment for confounding factors (i.e., socioeconomic factors, other substance use). Cannabis use in this population is a risk factor for violence.

But  the  lives  of  vulnerable  people  may  be  put  at  risk when  science  is  distorted  for corporate  or  ideological  ends.  As  noted,  several  USstates  responded  to the  much-hypedoriginal study of cannabis and opioid overdosesby authorizing the use of medical cannabis to treat  heroin-addicted  individuals.  Advice  that  opioid  users  should use medical  cannabis toreplace  opioid  agonist  therapies  (e.g.,  methadone,  buprenorphine) poses significant  risk because abrupt cessation of these medications dramatically increases the risks of an overdose death if users return to opioid use 

In conclusion, our findings confirm previous evidence of the harmful effect on mental health of daily use of cannabis, especially of high-potency types. Importantly, they indicate for the first time how cannabis use affects the incidence of psychotic disorder. Therefore, it is of public health importance to acknowledge alongside the potential medicinal properties of some cannabis constituents the potential adverse effects that are associated with daily cannabis use, especially of high-potency varieties.

Conclusions: Our findings disconfirm the hypothesis that a population-level negative correlation between medical marijuana use and prescription drug harms occurs because medical marijuana users are less likely to use prescription drugs, either medically or nonmedically. Medical marijuana users should be a target population in efforts to combat nonmedical prescription drug use.

1. Legalizing cannabis has been shown to increase the rates of motor vehicle accidents.
2. Cannabis use is a risk factor for mental illness.
3. Inhaled Cannabis use is a risk factor for respiratory infections.
4. Cannabis use increases the rate of vascular disease. Cannabis is the third most often identified drug of abuse
5. Cannabis use during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes
6. Legalization of cannabis has been shown to increase cannabis exposure in the pediatric population.
7. Heavy cannabis use is associated with diminished lifetime achievements.
Doctors must educate the public about the potential harm cannabis causes with heavy, and possibly moderate, widespread use just as they do about the dangers of tobacco use. Tobacco use has declined in the United States in large part because of the knowledge the public now holds about its adverse effects, as opposed to legislative action.

Similarly, it can be anticipated that if introduced, the indications for the  use of medical cannabinoids would expand well outside of the initial indications. Hence, the medical profession cannot justify the use of medical cannabinoids that would be associated with an iatrogenic risk of serious adverse psychological events.  The use of medical cannabinoids for any purpose, including research under closely observed conditions, is incompatible with mental health promotion.

The existence of hallucinations, delusions, and organic brain dysfunction in heavy cannabis users seems to be associated with cannabinoid levels in hair. The continuation of persistent symptoms 3 months after the discontinuation of cannabis abuse, was a remarkable finding. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: We provide evidence that chronic and heavy cannabis abuse results in long-lasting brain dysfunction in all users and in long-lasting schizophrenia-like psychotic symptoms in more than half of all users. These findings suggest a reevaluation of the current classification of cannabis as a "soft narcotic" which erroneously, therefore, is typically considered harmless. (Am J Addict 2017;XX:1-8).

Short-term side effects include impaired short-term memory, impaired motor function, altered judgment, and, in high doses, paranoia and psychosis. Not to mention that drivers who have recently smoked marijuana are twice as likely to get into a car accident than their sober counterparts.Approximately 9% of people who experiment with marijuana will become addicted.
If marijuana can meet all of the FDA requirements, including efficacy data, evidence of safety, and a meticulous quality control program, then the medicinal use of marijuana could be supported. Until then, we will need smoke and mirrors to make it appear that this drug not only makes people feel good, but is indeed good for you.

According to research studies, marijuana use causes aggressive behavior, causes or exacerbates psychosis and produce paranoias. These effects have been illustrated through case studies of highly publicized incidents and heightened political profiles.

Marijuana is currently a growing risk to the public in the United States. Following expanding public opinion that marijuana provides little risk to health, state and federal legislatures have begun changing laws that will significantly increase accessibility of marijuana. Greater marijuana accessibility, resulting in more use, will lead to increased health risks in all demographic categories across the country. Violence is a well-publicized, prominent risk from the more potent, current marijuana available.

Detailed Information
. Patients freely share their “medicine” with family and friends, and parents are self-diagnosing, and subsequently dosing their children with high-concentration marijuana products for conditions that may simply not exist (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, etc.); or allow their medical cards to expire and continue to grow their own.
The use of marijuana for medical conditions, including pain, needs robust studies, and subsequent products need more regulation and consistency for public consumption. Colorado is an example of the societal effect across a wide spectrum of arenas that comes with rampant cannabis use, particularly in youth use and impaired driving fatalities. The problems Colorado is seeing completely transcend “responsible use” or “marijuana as medicine.” 

CONCLUSIONS:
Medical marijuana law exposure between age 14 to 18 likely has a delayed effect on use and education that persists over time.

A common theme among every article in this issue is the overlap be- tween NMUPD, excessive drinking, and marijuana and other forms of substance use. In every investigation, nonmedical users were observed to have a history of using alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and other psycho- active substances. Kalyanam, Katsuki, Lanckriet, and Mackey (2017)
Kalyanam, J., Katsuki, T., Lanckriet, G., & Mackey, T. K. (2017). Exploring trends of non- medical use of prescription drugs and polydrug abuse in the Twittersphere using un- supervised machine learning. Addictive Behaviors, 65, 289–295. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.addbeh.2016.08.019.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=marijuana

For the researchers of the study, the results present a “a major public health concern” as a number of pregnant women would report taking marijuana to alleviate morning sickness or nausea – without knowing of the adverse side-effects.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623816300715#    

Highlights

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Marijuana increases the risk of spontaneous preterm birth independent of cigarette smoking status and socio-economic status.

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Women who continue to use marijuana at 20 weeks’ gestation are five times more likely to deliver preterm than those who do not.

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The rate of early SPTB is higher amongst women who continue to use marijuana at 20 weeks’ gestation.