It is the fourth of a series of articles on science from various aspects of university life.
That you heard him say that the grass, Mary Jane, Pot, Reefer or Marijuana, the consumption of cannabis is widespread Among the students of College Hill.
The medication will be more widespread this Sunday, while the Brunonians celebrate 4/20 – an unofficial brown party – marked by thousands of students who smoke on the Greens at 4:20 am and PM
According to the Spring of Herald 2024 survey63.24% of brown students consumed cannabis in one form or another – a figure that went from 53% among the class from 2027 to 75% among the class of 2024. It is significantly higher than the national average of 50%, based on data from a PEW research study.
But Alexander Sokolovsky, assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences, said that 50% was on average for cannabis consumption among university students.
“According to the statistics I have seen, I would not say that Brown is far from the distribution in terms of prevalence of cannabis consumption on the campus,” said Sokolovsky, especially because the RI law allows recreational use for adults aged 21 and over.
But what chemical interactions are at stake that make this intoxicant so popular?
The Sativa cannabis plant – The source of marijuana – produces a “high” comparable to the effects of alcohol or light psychedelic, depending on the dose and the strain.
Although the cannabis plant contains More than 400 natural compounds, the Delta -9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol – also known as THC – is the main chemical product responsible for the high psychoactive associated with marijuana. Cannabidiol, known as CBD, another major component of the plant, is not intoxicating and does not produce from above.
Marijuana can be ingested by smoking, vaping, consumption of edible products and other forms. Once consumed, cannabis enters the blood circulation and heads for the brain. There, it is mainly linked to the CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are receptors coupled with G proteins. These are part of the endocannabinoid system – a complex network that helps regulate pain, sleep, hunger and emotions, according to a study by researchers from the University of Wake Forest.
Cannabis also affects the release of neurotransmitters, including gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate, which play a role in the regulation of mood, anxiety and cognition,
But is cannabis sure to use, and is it addictive?
The security issue is nuanced, said Sokolovsky.
“This risk should be evaluated globally in the light of advantages and risks,” he said. For someone who replaces alcohol with cannabis, the switch can present a safer alternative. For those who consume cannabis in addition to alcohol, “it’s not necessarily safer,” he warned.
Cannabis triggers the release of dopamine, which creates a reinforcement effect which can lead to dependence, according to a Review in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology.
Regular users are developing increased tolerance over time and experience withdrawal symptoms when their use stops, said Sokolovsky.
Cannabis “has all the characteristics of other substances to which people can become dependent,” said Sokolovsky.
“There are many people who think that cannabis is beneficial for sleep,” he said, adding that “the human body is developing tolerance for those who have about four days.”
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More people degenerate their consumption of cannabis to help sleep, the more they depend on drugs and stayed in a “constant cycle of growing tolerance,” he said.
Developing increased tolerance is only one aspect of Cannabis consumption disorder. According to Sokolovsky, it is important that as cannabis becomes legalized in the United States, legislators must be “prudent” to protect those who can become drugs.
A second year Brown student, who spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity, said that he had started smoking cannabis at 14. He “constantly constantly smoked cannabis” since he was 14 years old at the end of his first year at university. But he has since left the medication, citing the “brain fog” and the medication expenses. He added that he “was bored.
“I don’t think it’s like a harmful drug, but I think it’s a medicine that diverts dopamine from your brain,” he said.
The student stopped consuming cannabis after 4/20 last year. “I completely exhausted myself for the next three days, my brain did not work at all,” he said, but he plans to participate this Sunday. “I have no problem with that. I think it’s fun. “
Another student in the second year, who also spoke to Herald under the guise of anonymity, smokes “most weekends” and sometimes even during the week, but told Herald that he took care to use “purely recreational” cannabis and not “as an adaptation mechanism”.
The student said that smoking made him feel “slower” and freer to “do silly and clumsy stuff”. He added that smoking sometimes creates “a feeling like pouring into the sofa” and makes it “more pleasant and more immersive” to listen to music.
He considers weeds “quite similar to alcohol” in this “maturity to be able to determine where your line is and what is responsible and what works for you” should be a major component in the decision to consume cannabis.
“It can be a fun thing, it can be a social thing and it can be like a positive thing in your life,” he added. “But also, it is very easy to fall into mistreatment, whether by dependence or through … The people you surround yourself with.”
Additional report by Elise Haulund.
Leah Koritz is a main editor covering science and research. Leah is Dover, Massachusetts and study public health and Judaic studies. During his free time, Leah likes hiking, watching the Red Sox and playing with his dog, Boba.