How To Derive Benefits From Cannabis
Cannabis is a plant with bright green colour and has a distinctive shape with five or seven leaflets. The flowering tops and upper leaves are covered in a sticky resin.
Cannabis
Cannabis contains a chemical that is used for the psychoactive (mind and mood-altering) effects, in a layman expression, “it makes you feel “high”. People use dried leaves, seed oil, and other parts of the cannabis plant for recreational and medicinal purposes. It can have a pleasurable effect and may soothe the symptoms of various conditions, such as chronic pain. When the flowers of these plants are harvested and dried, you’re left with one of the most common drugs in the world. Some call it to weed, some call it pot, and others call it marijuana.
Uses of Cannabis
According to Wikipedia, in 2015, between 128 and 232 million people used cannabis, which is 2.7% to 4.9% of the global population.
It is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world, though it is legal in some parts of the world. Nigeria is among the country with the highest usage of cannabis especially adults aged 18-65. Countries with more users of cannabis in the world are Zambia, the United States and Canada.
What forms is Cannabis Used?
EDIBLES – The dried leaves and flowers (buds) of the cannabis plant are known as marijuana, which can be smoked, or consumed as an edible ingredient in food, for example, cookies, brownies cakes.
cannabis is used as an ingredient in a cake called brownies.
ECSTASY – The gummy secretions of the plant are known as hashish. This can be smoked or eaten. Hash contains a higher concentration of psychoactive chemicals that produces a feeling of ecstasy in humans. It is the most potent form of cannabis.
Hashish is sometimes used for food.
TEXTILE – The fibre of the cannabis plant is cultivated as industrial hemp which is used in textile manufacturing.
RECREATIONAL – The plant has been used for its psychoactive and perceived health benefits. For years now, it has been used as a popular recreational drug.
JOINT – The dried leaves and flowers are known as buds of the cannabis plant, also known as marijuana, it can be smoked through a pipe, hand-rolled into a joint.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cannabis is the most commonly abused, trafficked, and cultivated illicit drug in the world. There are many different strains of the cannabis plant. it contains THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which has mind-altering properties and interacts with cannabinoid receptors in the brain.
Common Side Effects of Cannabis
Abusive use of cannabis can cause these short & long term effects:
Irritation to the lungs, risk of developing chronic bronchitis and an increased risk of developing cancer of the respiratory tract. This is more likely to do with smoking the substance.
its use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder that affects the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, or perceives reality. This is why heavy cannabis users are more likely to report thoughts of suicide, anxiety, and panic than non-users.
it use significantly raises the heart rate, leading to cardiac arrest or hypertension.
Chronic use can lower sperm count in males and lead to irregular periods in females. This can lead to decreased sex drive.
Many users of cannabis often develop an addiction to the substance.
Regular cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing a social anxiety disorder.
Economic Benefits of Cannabis
The commercialization of the plant can potentially have the following economic benefits:
Generate Revenue
According to a recent by Bloomberg, for recreational and medical purposes, the market would be worth US$90.4bn by 2026. Nigeria currently has an estimated 20.8 million pot consumers lighting up annually, with more than $15 billion spent on weed every year. If this is channelled into export, then imagine the revenue that will be made from its sale.
Investment Opportunities
According to Investopedia, legal marijuana presents the possibility of tremendous benefits to economies on a local and a national scale.
This means that it could help to secure the investment of investors across the country and outside, who see the industry as a gold mine, especially in the medical & pharmaceutical industry. Investors would surely capitalize on the growth of the industry, which will spur the growth of the industry, thereby improving the Nation’s economy.
As this growth continues, companies producing & marketing cannabis and its products would be free to list their stocks on stock exchanges. This will hereby enhance liquidity and open up access to many more investors.
Create Employment
The beneficial use of the plant, coupled with his health benefit will motivate entirely new crop experts including medical doctors, nurses, university-educated botanists, farmers, scientists into that industry. The value chain of the plant will influence a generation of new companies in the industry, which will definitely create lots of jobs.
Legalizing the plant will not only create employment opportunities but contribute significantly to the growth of the economy.