The Pros and Cons of Marijuana Use in the Brain

Marijuana is one of the most discussed drugs in the world because of arguments based on its benefits and perceived detrimental effects. Part of the reason for the arguments is that marijuana is still classified federally as a Schedule 1 narcotic, meaning it falls under the class of hard drugs—such as heroin, LSD and cocaine (DEA, 2018). Thus, many countries limit its use and sale. However, many people actually see marijuana is a useful drug with social and medicinal benefits, such as its ability to relieve pain (Joy & Mack, 2000). In some American states, for that reason, marijuana has been legalized, and people are free to use it for recreational purposes as well as medical reasons. Indeed, for many years, people have associated marijuana use with mental relaxation and with its ability to reduce depression and tension. However, there is not a significant sample size of studies that have been done to support the argument (Yarnell, 2015). The following paper outlines and discusses the contribution of marijuana in the management of anxiety, mental disorders, aging, brain deficits and pain, while also examining on the other hand the possibility of and potential for brain damage caused by use of marijuana.

Background on Marijuana and Its Chemical Components
Cannabis sativa is a naturally occurring plant that has been known to mankind for thousands of years. CBD, as it is commonly referred to today, stands for cannabidiol—a naturally-occurring chemical constituent that is just one of the several dozen types of cannabinoids contained in cannabis. CBD oil is used today to help prevent or treat a range of different health issues (Romano & Hazekamp, 2013). Cannabis is known as both hemp and marijuana—the former is valued for its practical uses (both industrial and herbal) and the latter is valued for its intoxicating effects. The difference between hemp and marijuana is the degree to which Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is present in the plant. Hemp plants typically have less THC than marijuana plants and though both are cannabis plants, the latter are the more potent when it comes to getting a “high” in the modern parlance. CBD is present in both plants but its presence is greater in hemp cannabis than in marijuana cannabis.
Cannabis was a common plant in the Neolithic Age and could be found everywhere from Northern Europe to China (Barber, 1992). As Russo (2007) points out, it was very possibly one of the earliest plants to ever be cultivated by human societies—mainly for its diverse range of uses and the lightning speed at which it could grow. Archeologists have found evidence of cannabis usage among the ruins of the Oki Islands off Japan, dating from 8000 BC (Long, Wagner, Demske, Leipe & Tarasov, 2017). Lu and Clarke (1995) have shown that “from the time of the earliest primitive societies (about 4,000–5,000 years ago) to the Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC to 220 AD) ancient Chinese techniques of hemp sowing, cultivation, and processing developed rapidly and became fairly advanced”(p. 27). The multi-regional proliferation of cannabis most likely increased as trans-Eurasian migration developed over the centuries. Its use in textile production in Europe did not develop until the High Middle Ages, when as Barber (1992) notes the inhabitants of Christendom became more and more aware of the plant’s powers. These powers were discerned through the smoking of the hemp bud, which Barber (1992) argues more than likely originated as a custom in south-central Asia and spread west from there during the Middle Ages.
While cannabis is not really a “cure-all,” it has been found to be “an extraordinary non-toxic medication that relieves the pain and discomfort associated with a variety of common human ailments”—and its treatments over the centuries have targeted “dysmenorrheal, neuralgia, gout, epileptoid convulsions, senile insomnia, rheumatism, convulsions, mental depression, insanity, uterine hemorrhage, migraine headaches and asthma” (Deitch, 2003, p. 210). Colonial Americans smoked cannabis for its medicinal purposes (pain relief) and it was common practice to make hemp tea or to smoke hemp. Hemp fell out of favor in the U.S. after the Civil War when the Industrial Revolution introduced new methods of making products out of petroleum (Deitch, 2003). As Deitch (2003) summarizes: “we know colonial Americans were aware of the medicinal properties of cannabis. It was one of the few medicines they had, and they used it as commonly as we use aspirin today” (p. 25). The common methods of consumption were to brew hemp tea, eat it, or smoke it. Today, however, the CBD from hemp is extracted and sold in oil form and may be used in a number of different was to treat ailments of various kinds.
Pros
Marijuana Use is Important in the Management of Anxiety
Marijuana users indicate that immediately they take it, they feel relaxed. One of the components of marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which facilitates production of dopamine and produces the feeling of euphoria—the high that is typically associated with marijuana usage. Once dopamine, which is found in marijuana, gets into the body, it helps individuals to relax because it keeps muscles active. After consumption of marijuana, people tend to be more active resulting to increased levels of confidence. In addition, the use of marijuana is suitable in prevention of Alzheimer, which causes memory loss (McCarthy, 2016).
Amyloid plaques can be easily prevented by subjecting patients to dosages of marijuana. Marijuana’s cure for amyloid plaques limits development of Alzheimer (McCarthy, 2016). Those who are suffering from acute depression and experience irritation feelings can use marijuana to cool the feeling. According to McCarthy (2016), depression can be easily cured through the use of marijuana. Introduction of marijuana in the body limits development of a series of thoughts which limit mental functionality.
Romano and Hazekamp (2013) point out historical records are useful in understanding how cannibinoids have worked in the past for people. Such records, they note, “have been historically helpful to provide hints on the biological processes controlled by the endocannabinoid system, and on the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids” (Romano & Hazekamp, 2013, p. 2). For example, knowledge today of how CBD has a number of health-related effects, including “the antiemetic, appetite-enhancing, analgesic, and muscle-relaxant effects and the therapeutic use of cannabinoids in Tourette’s syndrome were all discovered or rediscovered in this manner” (Romano & Hazekamp, 2013, p. 2). Thus, the historical record bears out what patients today share with regard to their own personal accounts of how marijuana helps to relieve their anxiety and other ailments.
In recent years, more and more health care patients have been turning to alternative medicine and cannabis specifically, “using concentrated extracts of herbal cannabis” to treat their ailments (Romano & Hazekamp, 2013, p. 3). The procedure for doing this is to preheat the cannabis samples so as to “potentiate the final extract, i.e. to decarboxylate the acidic cannabinoids naturally present in cannabis plant material” (Romano & Hazekamp, 2013, p. 3).
Marijuana Use Can Ease Body Pain and Heal Various Brain Infections
The body is controlled by the brain, and all signals sent by the neurons are interpreted by the brain. People take marijuana on frequently because of its ability to relieve chronic pain (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 2016). Marijuana also prevents inflammation, limiting development of chronic pain in the body. Therefore, the use of marijuana for medical reasons will relieve patients from chronic pain.
This argument is supported by historical records as well. For example, in 1621 Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy suggested that cannabis could be used to treat depression.  About a century later in 1753 Linnaeus finally classified the plant Cannabis sativa. Within the decade, cannabis as a plant with medicinal qualities was featured in The New England Dispensatory. By the end of the 18th century it was again featured in a medical journal, this time in The Edinburgh New Dispensary.  By the middle of the 19th century, the Irish physician O’Shaughnessy was actively publishing medical material on cannabis research in English journals. He had served the British Crown as an army surgeon in India and helped to reintroduce the British public to the medical benefits of cannabis. For that reason, “in Victorian times it was widely used for a variety of ailments, including muscle spasms, menstrual cramps, rheumatism, and the convulsions of tetanus, rabies and epilepsy; it was also used to promote uterine contractions in childbirth, and as a sedative to induce sleep. It is said to have been used by Queen Victoria against period pains: there is no actual proof of this at all, but Sir Robert Russell, for many years her personal physician, wrote extensively on cannabis, recommending it for use in dysmenorrhoea” (Parliament UK, 1998). About that same time, cannabis was included in The U.S. Pharmacopoeia, and from that point on—till about the second decade of the 20th century, cannabis as a medicinal drug could be purchased from drug stores and general stores in America freely. However, when the Prohibition Era went into effect, cannabis was banned along with alcohol (Advanced Holistic Health, 2018). It was criminalized in 1937 following the end to Prohibition four years earlier. This was followed by its removal from The U.S. Pharmacopoeia in 1941.
Now that a cultural change has occurred with respect to alternative forms of medicine, many people are taking a new look at marijuana for pain relief and other uses. Caulkins, Kilmer and Kleiman (2016) argue that patient’s access to marijuana can limit suffering arising from sleep apnea and fibromyalgia. As a result of increased body pain, patients can use marijuana to solve their problem. In addition, legalization of marijuana is key in limiting suffering among individuals. People suffering from epilepsy can use marijuana to contain their situation. The push for legalization of marijuana is made to increase circulation of the drug so that people may benefit medically. For instance, increased use of marijuana can prevent and cure epilepsy.
Marijuana is Suitable for Handling Aging Mental Challenges
When approaching old age, people tend to experience various mental complications such as hallucinations, cognitive challenges, and decreased motivation (Zettl, Rommer, Hipp&Patejdl, 2016). When used by the aging members of the society marijuana improves mental functionality. Therefore, the members will remain active even in their old age. The reason for this is that the marijuana substance promotes relaxation, reduces the effects of debilitating pain on the mind and body, and lifts the spirits of the elderly by putting them in a more positive frame of mind. They forget their worries and are more open to participating in activities.
Cons
Marijuana Use is Dangerous and Leads to Massive Brain Damage
The use of marijuana is addictive and can lead to complex brain damages such as chronic memory loss (Estoup, Moise-Campbell, Varma& Stewart, 2016). Continuous use of marijuana limits functionality of the hippocampus, especially among the young generation who need improved brain functionality. To add on, huge dosage of marijuana affects cognitive development, which in turn affects brain power. In a nutshell the use of marijuana for a long period of time leads to serious brain impairment.
Walker et al. (2016) showed that marijuana usage in adolescents can negatively impact their motivation. A while Corrigan (2016) shows that marijuana use can either be destructive or constructive, it depends upon how it is used. When used in moderation for medicinal purposes, it can provide relief. When used solely as an agent to get high, it can become addictive and harmful to the brain, especially for young people whose brains are still in the developmental process (Walker et al., 2016). The use of marijuana by young people can lead to a retardation of proper, normal and healthy development of the brain and lead to massive brain damage.
Marijuana is Addictive
Marijuana can become an addictive drug for people, especially if they start at a young age when their minds and habits are still being developed (Estoup et al., 2016). When young persons start using marijuana to get high they are using the substance inappropriately and misusing its natural remedying qualities. Throughout history, there has been a general back-and-forth with regard to the use of marijuana. Its healing effects have been noticed, but its mind-altering effects have also been observed. If marijuana is being used solely to alter one’s state of mind for the purpose of pleasure it can create in the person a dependency that can negatively impact the person’s life. The person will no longer be able to function socially without first having marijuana use. This is what is known as having an addiction (Estoup et al., 2016). The addiction can gradually take complete hold of the person so that the person is unable to get a job by passing a drug test and that can impact the person’s future for the rest of his life.
The power of marijuana to alter the brain should thus not be ignored. It has pain relief properties but, like an opioid, it can alter the person’s ability to function: the person who is addicted to the drug can no longer perform routine activities without first getting high. This dependency on the chemical substances in marijuana is debilitating and can lead to life-altering consequences for the individual. This is why counseling is so often recommended as an intervention. The clinical issues associated with marijuana use are addressed in the next section.
Marijuana Can Lead to Harder Substances
Marijuana has often been identified as a gateway drug and it is not uncommon for users to seek alternative substances in order to pursue more efficient or effective highs. The reason marijuana continues to be classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic is that it has the power to alter the mind and to create a physical dependency, much like what is seen when people use heroin or opioids. The impact is the same. People who use marijuana are more likely to also try other drugs (Estoup et al., 2016). The consequences of using marijuana recreationally, therefore, are that it encourages and indulges a drug-use lifestyle that can deplete a person’s motivation and foster a desire to try harder drugs that can be even more addictive and damaging to one’s will. Heroin addiction, for instance, is so strong that it can lead people to an early death as the user keeps chasing bigger highs and risks overdosing. Addicts will steal, lie and cheat to get money for their next high, and they can give up on work, family and everything else.
Clinical Issues
Because of the THC component in marijuana, it is a substance that can become addictive. There are numerous modes of treatment that can be effective in addressing the biological effects of marijuana on the brain. Dickerson, Brown, Johnson, Schweigman and D’Amico (2016) show that integrating motivational interviewing into the treatment process can be one way to help build up the patient’s motivation to quit using marijuana. This aligns with the approaches of cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, which in this case would be instrumental because of the depressive/hopelessness core that many patients who are tied to marijuana use experience and also because this addiction impacts the biological basis of the behavior, which is the impulse/endorphin release high that the individual seeks. Likewise there is the study by Asamsama, Dickstein, and Chard (2015) that shows how cognitive therapy is a good approach to dealing with serious issues of depression/addiction and why it can be a beneficial treatment modality because of its focus on altering client behavioral patterns and the use of the Beck Depression Inventory-II model.
Through counseling, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and through pharmacological intervention drug addiction can be cured. As the Addiction Center notes, cognitive behavioral therapy especially “helps people address problematic thoughts and feelings to overcome addiction.” By using counseling and drug therapy, addicts can be treated effectively.
However, drug addiction is very powerful. It takes control of the mind. The addict can no longer think straight without drugs. It turns into a mental obsession: Addiction is now understood as the biological control that the substance takes over the body, the mind and the will, resulting in a continuous, compulsive habit of drug use despite the physical and psychological harm it does. Marijuana can take control of the body and the mind and will because the dopamine effect gradually impacts the nerves (Rawlins, 2018), which makes it harder for the person to function without drugs. Finally, it takes control of the will. The addict becomes a slave to drugs and can no longer act without them. It is important to keep this reality in mind when looking for a way to address the issue. It is not an issue that can be addressed lightly or without the fullest commitment to seeing it through.
Counseling can help because it provides a focus on behavior. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on behavior by identifying triggers that make one want to use drugs. It provides alternative behaviors for the patient to pursue. Taking the cold turkey route is an option for some, but most people who abuse marijuana cannot break the habit on their own: they require some form of support and assistance in overcoming the addiction (McHugh, Hearon & Otto, 2015). Quitting cold turkey does not guarantee success because it does not address the behavioral changes that have to occur within the person—only the physiological changes. Counseling provides behavioral and emotional support, and as McHugh et al. (2015) show, “evidence from numerous large scale trials and quantitative reviews supports the efficacy of CBT for alcohol and drug use disorders” (p. 511). CBT gives the addict an opportunity to examine his issues or trauma, and it helps the addict to set goals for himself to pursue over time. Furthermore, counseling can provide spiritual nourishment. The addict can focus on gaining assistance from others or from God, and the addict can start a new life based on prayer and action.
Drug therapy can help as well. As the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2018) states, “Treatment medications, such as methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone (including a new long-acting formulation), are available for individuals addicted to opioids.” Addicts need to be weaned off their addiction and so drug therapy can help. They are in the grip of drugs and need assistance in loosening that grip. Drug therapy can help loosen that grip because it fills the gap between quitting cold turkey and abusing drugs. It is like a halfway point that gets the abuser moving in the right direction. Going cold turkey does not help: The impulse to use again is too strong, and there is the potential for overdosing. Drug therapy helps the patient get back to normal slowly. The dosages are controlled and they stabilize the addict. The National Institute on Drug Addiction (2018) notes that “drug treatment is intended to help addicted individuals stop compulsive drug seeking and use” by assisting them in the quitting process—and that is what drug therapy can do. It is most frequently used in combination with CBT, however—because that combination is what produces the best results.
Future modalities of treatment of addiction are likely to take into consideration the CBT model because of its emphasis on neurobiological treatments, focusing on actions and ways of thinking that relate to the desire of the individual to seek the release of flood of endorphins/chemicals into the body for the “high” that results. The high is sought because of the low that the individual wishes to avoid, coming from stress, depression, despair, or an incontinent desire for pleasure, etc. Ethical issues and biological aspects related to this addiction that might affect counseling are the need to connect with the individual and on intimate basis, which means exercising strict confidentiality and empathy. A pharmacological treatment of addiction is more like a patch, as it does not effectively get to the neurological associations that the individual has made. Thus ethical considerations should be given to how the individual’s life can be better facilitated towards exercising restraint and a more positive lifestyle with supports from family and peers. By counseling and by drug therapy, addicts can become whole again and climb out of the abyss of drug addiction. CBT and the weaning of addicts off marijuana through pharmacological intervention can help save lives, families and whole communities from the growing scourge that is the drug addiction epidemic.

Christian Worldview Implications
Individuals can find in Christian communities, such as churches and groups, the positive peer/family/social support that they need to turn their addiction barriers/challenges into opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. The biblical basis for a Christian approach is most notably situated in the fact that Christ is the “way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Christ, in other words, offers a universal portal through which all individuals can pass in order to overcome their addictions/problems/concerns.
Christian counselors have the freedom to exercise a Christian worldview approach to counseling because researchers have shown that spirituality has a direct bearing and impact on counseling positivity and success and that Christian prayer is a divine way of dealing with issues such as marijuana addiction (Gilbert, 2014). However, some caution should be exercised on the part of the counselor because of cultural and/or religious sensitivities. Thus it is ethical to discuss up front whether or not the individual wants to engage in Christian-oriented therapy and healing in order to overcome the biological bases of the addiction. It should be pointed out to the individual that a neurobiological approach has been shown by researchers to have the most encompassing approach to the problem of addiction and that this approach can be facilitated by CBT and by a life of prayer, as Gilbert (2014) notes. The spiritual dimension of healing, of grace, and of Christianity can be discussed but it should not be forced on the client or patient if he or she does not want it. There is the biblical foundation for not forcing it upon those who are unwilling, as Christ Himself leaves the village after healing the possessed man after it frightens the inhabitants and they ask Christ to leave (Matthew 8:34). He does not stay and oblige them to hear Him.
Nonetheless there are many positive associations that can be made between the Christian worldview and overcoming the neurobiological basis of sexual and drug addiction, which depends upon the flooding of the body with chemicals that produce a euphoric response. The individual is seeking release from the pains of the world, but Christ says that one should take up his cross and follow Him. Christ gives the example of suffering through the pains and taking them in stride and not giving in to the temptation to avoid them or to seek release from them through an impulsive indulgence of pleasure-giving behaviors.
Likewise, the Christian counseling approach does not have to harp on moral weakness, as the biological basis of the brain disease that is addiction does not imply a moral stigma or weakness of will. However, the disease model may not be entirely appropriate as it does not adequately factor into account the impact of the will, of the mental state, and the desire of the individual. A CBT approach for instance would not rule out the focus of eliminating the concept of addiction as a disease because this pits the individual in a context that is adversarial instead of controlling. The individual should be made to show how he or she is in control of the addiction and not the addiction in control of him or her. Therefore it is helpful to examine how the disease label can be removed so that a more spiritual approach with positive social supports can be given. Prayer can help in this process.
For an addict, the counselor should ask if the person was religious of if he or she had any particular inclination towards prayer as a form of intervention. We might discuss the subject of prayer and what researchers in the past have indicated about it and whether or not it can be an effective approach to therapy. If the person were inclined to pray or had expectations of prayer being helpful, methods could be discussed and how to use prayer effectively in the session. The important thing to do would be to set parameters so that both the client and counselor know what is expected of both. Once parameters have been set—say, for instance, to begin and end each session with a prayer to God—it would be important to note what is being praying for, how it is wanted for God to intervene. That would entail devising a prayer for the session. It could be one agreed upon or one the counselor and patient write. It could also be left open and each prayer could be spontaneous. Who would lead the prayer would also have to be discussed. In this way, prayer would be used to assist in the therapy but it would not be the sole means of therapy. Also it would show that the counselor is respectful towards the client’s wishes and needs and that he is open to whatever course of action he or she saw as best. This would facilitate the formation of a strong alliance between me the therapist and the client. This alliance based on trust and respect is important in the development of the therapy and would also improve the chances of prayer being effective in the course of the sessions.
Conclusion
Marijuana use is beneficial to the brain since it helps in managing various brain disorders such as hallucinations, anxiety, sleep disorders and management of depression.In addition, complex mental challenges such as epilepsy and Alzheimer can be managed through the use of marijuana in an appropriate manner. The use of marijuana helps management of anxiety, mentaldisorders, aging brain deficits, and pain management. However, its misuse or abuse, particularly by young people can lead to increased brain damage. To address the issue of marijuana use, abuse or addiction, cognitive behavioral therapy can be a useful method of intervention as it focuses on making behavioral changes. CBT gives the addict an opportunity to examine his issues or trauma, and it helps the addict to set goals for himself to pursue over time. Furthermore, counseling can provide spiritual nourishment. The addict can focus on gaining assistance from others or from God, and the addict can start a new life based on prayer and action. . Prayer can be an effective addition to CBT counseling for these diseases and the Christian worldview can give assistance to the therapy by providing a spiritual emphasis that can help in turning the addict’s life around away from pleasure-seeking towards a more Christian orientation of carrying one’s cross.

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