Medicinal cannabis has become increasingly popular in recent years and is used by people from all walks of life. But education around it is still lacking.
Many of us have come of age during a time when cannabis was seen as a dangerous drug, used at parties and music festivals to get high.
Over the years, cannabis has been painted in a negative light and the stigma around the plant remains today.
So it’s only natural that medicinal cannabis products are still misunderstood.
As a medicinal cannabis company, we field a lot of questions from people who are interested in trialing these medicines, but have concerns about what it might do to them.
We decided to put this article together to answer some of those questions and bring some clarity around the differences between illicit cannabis and medicinal forms.
It’s time we left many of the negative connotations in the past and embraced a new approach to holistic wellness.
The difference between adult-use cannabis and cannabis medicines
Firstly, let’s do a quick overview on the difference between adult-use cannabis and medicinal forms.
Whole-plant or full-spectrum cannabis (adult-use) contains all of the naturally-occurring compounds in the cannabis plant, including compounds which are responsible for a “high” feeling.
However, there are more than 100 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant – the majority of them do not have any intoxicating (psychoactive) effects yet do have applications in medicines.
Cannabinoids are extracted from whole plant cannabis and are commonly prescribed for a wide range of health conditions.
There are different types of cannabinoids though and some, such as full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD, contain other compounds from the cannabis plant, including small amounts of psychoactive compounds. Each of these cannabinoids can be isolated, or separated from the others in a laboratory – allowing us to create targeted medicines with specific benefits delivered by the different types.
You can learn more about the different types of products here, but please make sure you seek specific answers from your doctor before using any new medicinal product.
Let’s get into the questions.
Does medicinal cannabis make you hungry?
You’ve probably heard that using cannabis can make you hungry and cause a phenomenon informally known as “the munchies”.
Maybe you’ve even experienced it yourself.
But is using medicinal cannabis products going to cause you to crave pizza, chips, and whatever else is in the fridge?
The answer is no with a minor “but…”
The psychoactive parts of a cannabis plant are the main elements that cause food cravings. There are several scientific theories for why this happens.
Psychoactive cannabinoids are said to increase the hormone ghrelin, which causes you to feel hungry. It also interacts with part of the brain that controls hunger and boosts the “feel good” chemical dopamine, which can make eating more pleasurable.
All of these factors combine to make you crave food when you consume cannabis with high levels of psychoactive material.
Some people have concerns that using medicinal cannabis will make them eat more and gain weight (some patients are prescribed these products to help them do just that).
Most medicinal cannabis products on their own don’t cause “the munchies”, but it may help stimulate appetite in other ways associated with potential reduction of nausea, anxiety and inflammation.
Also, it’s important to realise that some products contain small amounts of psychoactive ingredients, which will likely have a more noticeable effect on appetite.
So while medicinal cannabis products won’t derail your weight-loss journey and cause you to crave all the greasy, salty food you can get your hands on, it may support you if you have symptoms that are reducing your appetite and causing other problems in your life.
Does medicinal cannabis make you tired or lazy?
Another stereotype associated with illicit cannabis is it makes you a lazy, unmotivated couch potato.
Pop culture has a lot to answer for here, but there is a smidgen of truth behind the cliche.
In higher doses, the psychoactive components in cannabis can make people feel drowsy and sleepy. This is where the idea of being “stoned” comes from.
However, non-psychoactive cannabinoids do not induce drowsiness and lethargy. In fact, studies have found that some may be a “wake-promoting agent” particularly in the presence of terpenes such as limonene.
Other studies have found that certain cannabinoids may support sleep indirectly by helping to relieve stress and anxiety, which can be major obstacles to a restful night.
In some products psychoactive cannabinoids are “balanced” with non-psychoactive to create a medicine that delivers the medical benefits of the psychoactive parts, but is unlikely to cause drowsiness.
So if you’re concerned about medicinal cannabis products affecting your motivation and energy levels, or impacting your work, you don’t have to worry.
Does medicinal cannabis make you feel paranoid?
One of the common fears around illicit cannabis is that it can make you feel paranoid.
Cannabis with high amounts of psychoactive cannabinoids have been known to cause paranoia and even hallucinations so it’s a valid concern for anyone considering cannabis as a medicine.
However, once again, it is the psychoactive cannabinoids responsible for this rare side effect.
Non-psychoactive parts of the plant aren’t known to cause paranoia and may, in fact, help to inhibit the effects of psychoactive cannabinoids when consumed together.
This could be because non-psychoactive cannabinoids don’t interact directly with cannabinoid receptors in the brain in the way psychoactive ones can.
The small amounts of psychoactive cannabinoids in some products shouldn’t be enough to induce paranoia, but please speak with your doctor about this if you have concerns.
Medicinal Cannabis: Life-compatible cannabinoids
It’s only natural to have concerns about using medicinal cannabis, particularly given the historical stigma around the plant.
But hopefully you’re starting to see that medicinal cannabis is quite different to whole-plant cannabis.
While medicinal cannabis isn’t right for every health condition, it’s definitely much more compatible with everyday life than consuming the plant in whole forms.
That’s not to say the psychoactive cannabinoids are bad as they have many unique benefits of their own. But it certainly has more potential negative effects than prescription products.
We think this will just be part 1 of many articles on this topic as we’re always getting new questions about our products, so stay tuned and subscribe to our email newsletter to continue learning more about the rapidly-evolving world of medicinal cannabis.
