It’s Just Weed

They Want Us to Own Nothing and Be Happy

In the sultry shadows of a full moon, within the confines of a hospital in St Thomas, a conversation climaxes. Mary, a 25-year-old transgender person of West African descent, sits pensively, their mind a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Mary Jane’s journey through the tumultuous tides of gender identity, set against the backdrop of her family’s employment-starved home, had been a narrative of noise and silence, struggle and solitude.

Across from her, Hashish, a newfound friend met amidst the sterile stillness of the hospital, leans in with a persuasive grin. “Iz just weed ya’ know,” Hashish implored, his voice a velvet veneer over a viper’s persuasion. The moonlight meandered through the window, casting a celestial glow on the duo’s dialogue. Hashish, his demeanor draped in casual conviction, championed cannabis as a cure-all, a magic mantra for all of Mary’s maladies.

Mary, however, harbors a hesitancy, her heart hinging on a harrowing realization. The nights under the nocturnal sky, where she once sought solace in the sweet seduction of cannabis smoke, had spiraled into a sinister sojourn. The herb, once her haven, had hijacked her health, hurling her into a hallucinatory hell where QAnon conspiracies clutched her consciousness.

“Is more dan dat, Hash” Mary murmured, her voice a mix of melancholy and resolve. “It take meh places. Ah was… hearing things, seeing things. Ah wasn’ me.”

Hashish, undeterred, leaned closer, his words weaving a web of temptation. “But Mary, it does ease d’ edge, ya kno’? Make d’ world a little less… harsh. ” His eyes, alight with the allure of escape, failed to see the shadow of fear flickering in Mary’s gaze. “You don’t own much. It go make yuh happy.”

Mary, her resolve ripening under the lunar luminescence, countered quickly, “Maybe for some, Hash. But nuh me nah. Is a doorway to demons I cyah afford to dance wit’ again.” Her mind meanders back to the night of the self-inflicted tattoo, a tangible testament to the turmoil triggered by her tryst with ‘just weed’.

Their conversation, a cascade of caution and carelessness, carries on under the Caribbean moon. Mary, steadfast in her newfound sobriety, stands as a sentinel of her own sanity, while Hashish, lost in a labyrinth of his logic, continues to extol the virtues of his verdant vice. The night wraps around them, a blanket of bittersweet revelations, as two souls share their stories, one striving for the light, the other still swaying in the smoke.

Cannabis and the Caribbean

Once a legally sold substance in shops in the western world, cannabis has since been redecriminalized following external pressures. It is estimated that up to a third of Caribbean youth engage in cannabis use, with males more likely to report its usage.

Psychosis and Cannabis

The incidence of psychosis worldwide is rare (1: 10, 000). Cannabis impacts vary by individual and depend significantly on the amount consumed. Studies indicate that overall cannabis use is not linked to increased psychotic symptoms. However, daily users of cannabis, particularly of high-potency strains, have a higher likelihood of developing psychosis over the following years compared to non-users.

Who is at Risk?

Factors increasing the risk of cannabis-induced psychosis include maternal schizophrenia, early cannabis use (before 14 years), and using high-potency cannabinoids like skunk.

What Should We Do?

School-based prevention programs focusing on health education, elucidation of risk factors, enhancing protective factors, and addressing impulse control are essential. Then, users can make informed decisions based mindful of the small risks.

Plakebo’s Role in Understanding Cannabis Effects

At Plakebo, we advocate for critical thinking and informed decision-making regarding health trends like cannabis use. Understanding the placebo effect and the real impacts of substances helps in making evidence-based choices.

Where can we get more information?

Consider reviewing references in this article. The UWI did an excellent video at the link provided below. For other good resources around psychosis consider links (1) or link (2).

References

1. Arendt M, Mortensen PB, Rosenberg R, Pedersen CB, Waltoft BL. Familial predisposition for psychiatric disorder: comparison of subjects treated for cannabis-induced psychosis and schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008 Nov;65(11):1269-74. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.65.11.1269. PMID: 18981338.
2. Casadio P, Fernandes C, Murray RM, Di Forti M. Cannabis use in young people: the risk for schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2011 Aug;35(8):1779-87. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.04.007. Epub 2011 Apr 16. PMID: 21530584.
3. Morgan C, Cohen A, Esponda GM, Roberts T, John S, Pow JL, Donald C, Olley B, Ayinde O, Lam J, Poornachandrika P, Dazzan P, Gaughran F, Kannan PP, Sudhakar S, Burns J, Chiliza B, Susser E, Weiss HA, Murray RM, Rangaswamy T, Gureje O, Hutchinson G; INTREPID Group; Epidemiology of Untreated Psychoses in 3 Diverse Settings in the Global South: The International Research Program on Psychotic Disorders in Diverse Settings (INTREPID II). JAMA Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 1;80(1):40-48. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3781. PMID: 36383387; PMCID: PMC9669922.