Current Research on Marijuana

Pharmacological studies of marijuana during the past three years have confirmed most of the clinical effects of the drug reported before. The outstanding effects are an initial alteration of mood characterized by euphoria, followed by alteration of consciousness characterized by sleepiness. Other mental effects reminiscent of those observed with psychotomimetic drugs, such as alterations in time perception, visual perception, auditory perception, changes in ability to remember or keep track of things, and depersonalization, may be observed after higher doses of the drug. In general, the severity of effects parallels the dose of drug closely, so that generalizations about effects of marijuana must be qualified according to the dose used. As most use of marijuana in Western society employs relatively small doses, the drug may appear to be more innocuous than would be the case if the dosage pattern should be changed by use of increasingly potent materials.