On Dec. 1, 2015, a team at the University of Guelph researching the effects of cannabis usage released the latest findings of their study, suggesting that many of the harmful effects that the drug has on the human body are largely dependent upon several pre-existing factors.
The Guelph Cannabis Research Team (GCRT) lab is one of a number of laboratories around the world that have been formed to research both the short-term and long-term positive and negative side effects of the drug, which is infamously known for its mind altering qualities.
It should be no surprise that the use of drugs, both legal medicinal and illicit recreational, in excess is a bad thing. What shocked the GCRT team was the correlation between the physiological makeup of the user to the harmful effects that cannabis users experienced. There was a significant amount of evidence that indicated that the height, in addition to the weight—and thus, by extension, the muscle mass—of a person can play a considerable part in the overall effect that the drug has on the individual.
In a series of clinical trials, GCRT researchers discovered that the dosage of marijuana, like any drug, had adverse effects on those who utilized more than the prescribed amount. Those who were of a lower body mass index (BMI) were more likely to suffer a variety of the known harmful effects of marijuana after being administered numerous doses, while those of a higher BMI were less likely to suffer unless a substantially larger dose of the drug was employed.
The findings of the GRCT’s latest study were shocking due to the fact that never before had a team of drug researchers seen a correlation between the negative effects of a drug and the height, weight, and muscle mass of the individual. Additionally, almost 76 per cent of those studied showed partiality towards the works of Rastafarian spokesman Bob Marley and, surprisingly enough, David Lynch. Of the 76 per cent, those who favoured Lynch’s works displayed an amalgamation of several adverse effects.
It is unclear as to the relation to Lynch and the harmful effects of marijuana on users, but there has been much speculation. Currently, abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal brain activity is believed to be triggered by the sequence of light during visual stimulation via Lynch’s work. Research by the GCRT is on-going, and further clinical trials investigating are scheduled to be held later this year.
Dr. Mark Ware, who serves as executive director of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids, and is also the director of clinical research at the McGill University Health Centre’s pain clinic. In a University Affairs article published on Sept. 3, 2014, Ware said that “the safety and efficacy of marijuana are the two main areas where data is lacking.”
Dr. Ware expressed that “[there is] a real need for Canadian clinical trials to answer many of the claims around medical cannabis.”
Often used for the combination of its physical and mental effects, medicinal marijuana is used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis symptoms, to reduce epileptic seizures, to control nausea in cancer patients, and for chronic pain.
Cannabis, which is also commonly referred to as marijuana, is known to have a wide variety of side effects on the user. These effects include impaired motor skills, a decrease in short-term memory, a dry mouth, reddened eyes, and a decrease in intraocular pressure that can be associated with debilitated vision. In addition, seemingly unexplainable feelings of anxiety or paranoia have also been found in users.
An article written by University of Guelph alumni Josh Dehaas, published in Maclean’s magazine on Jan. 31, 2012, detailed the multitude of adverse effects that marijuana can have on its users. Dehaas also writes that “the best-established risk is that marijuana can trigger or exacerbate psychosis in a small number of people who are susceptible, based on their genetic code.”