How we could make cannabis safer for users

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Most cannabis users find that the effects of occasional use of the drug are pleasurable, but some regular users experience harm. Daily cannabis use can lead to cannabis dependence, and heavy use, over months and years, can lead some users to experience memory impairment and psychotic symptoms – hearing and seeing things that are not there.

Even though problem users are a minority, the number of people who use cannabis means that this minority actually represents a significant number of people. In the UK, about one in 11 people who try cannabis will develop a dependency. This equates to about 200,000 people. So if we could make cannabis safer, thousands of people would benefit.


https://theconversation.com/how-we-coul ... sers-73638

There already exist several non-narcotic varieties of cannabis that are in use for medical purposes. Because they lack the harmful narcotic effects, they are safer to use. A number of families with children with health issues have been using these non-narcotic medicinal forms of cannabis to treat their ill kids. Also, many adults with illnesses are using these safer forms as well. I've read a number of articles about this online. do a search for non-narcotic cannabis medicines if you are really interested in it for medicinal purposes. However, if you just want cannabis for getting high, don't bother, as these non-narcotic forms won't provide a high.

As far as I know there is only weak evidence towards cannabis causing memory impairment or psychosis, also it is unclear especially with psychosis if the cannabis use or psychosis comes first, so its possible in some cases the cannabis is an attempt to self medicate the psychosis. Also memory problems are not the most uncommon issue especially in older age so could be somewhat coincidental. Just in my personal experience I have met more than one person with schizophrenia who smokes cannabis to help it....rather than having smoked cannabis and developed schizoprhenia.

Also if cannabis helps protect braincells during an epileptic seizure I have a hard time believing it causes any irreversible damage to the brain. Over-use of anything is unhealthy, so obviously abusing cannabis runs more risks of using it more responsibly. There is strong evidence to suggest it is safer than alcohol consumption, which I think is a good argument in favor of legalization.