Teens: cannabis is in

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MunichYoung people are increasingly resorting to marijuana or hashish, shows the annual report of the German Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (DBDD) on the drug situation in 2013/2014. Many consumers underestimate the psychological and physical dangers.

More treatments, more consultations

When young people under the age of 25 are hospitalized for using illegal drugs, cannabis is now the most common reason - in 2012 it was still opioid use. The hemp plant is also becoming increasingly popular among young people: in the past year, 270,000 12 to 17-year-olds in Germany consumed cannabis at least once, and 60,000 even took the drug regularly. This was the result of a representative survey by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA). When it comes to addiction counseling centers, too, hemp consumers are at the top: 60 percent of people who seek outpatient advice or treatment for the first time do so because of cannabis.

"The downplaying of the dangers of this drug by advocates of legalization is irresponsible with regard to young people," says the drug commissioner of the federal government Marlene Mortler. Because young people in particular often underestimate the acute dangers of tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) - the main psychoactive ingredient in the hemp plant.

Bad trips and panic reactions

Especially those who use cannabis for the first time do not know how the body will react to the drug. In addition to the desired psychological effects such as a lightening of the mood, heightened perception or an increased need for communication, a number of unpleasant to dangerous consequences can occur. In addition to the depressed mood, restlessness, fear and confusion, hallucinations, "bad trips", memory gaps and panic reactions can occur.

But the drug can also have negative effects on the body, such as palpitations, nausea or circulatory collapse. The consumption of marijuana or hashish can therefore be very dangerous, especially for heart patients.

In the long term, smoking weed also damages the respiratory tract. Cannabis smoke contains more carcinogenic substances than a comparable amount of tobacco smoke. Development may also be impaired during puberty.

Gateway drug?

Compared to other drugs, however, it is not so easy to become addicted to cannabis - the risk for it is comparable to alcohol or nicotine. Nevertheless, psychological and slight physical dependence can develop in the long run. Opponents of cannabis also refer to hemp as the number one “gateway drug”. (away)

Source: Annual report of the German Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction 2014 (DBDD)

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