Can marijuana psychologically affect who you are?

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.

Over the years we have been led to believe that smoking cannabis or using drugs will fundamentally change your psychology. In other words, “you” would change because of the medications you are taking.

I recently read a Reddit post from a 15-year-old referring to his two-year stint with cannabis. Here is an excerpt from that post:

Photo by Toan Nguyen via Unsplash

“After a while I got these strange feelings that were very strong, hit me like a brick when I was sober, later found out that this was DR, when I got it I just couldn’t focus on anything it happened and got a small loss of memory from what was happening. That scared me to death, so I did more research and decided to stop. I had a few “glitches” a couple of times but eventually stopped.

I feel more stupid, I no longer feel as eloquent as I used to, no longer as sharp. I’m frustrated by this, but I think it’s getting better and I’m trying to use my mind more to speed this up. ”

(Please ignore the spelling – the child is 15 years old.)

Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone talk about “depersonalization” from smoking cannabis. That’s what prompted me to write this article. Cannabis changes you psychologically to the point where you become depersonalized. First, let’s take a look at depersonalization.

What is depersonalization?

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Depersonalization derealization disorder occurs when you constantly or repeatedly feel like you are watching yourself from outside your body, or feel that things around you are not real, or both. Feelings of depersonalization and derealization can be very disturbing and feel like you are living in a dream.

Many people have a transient experience of depersonalization or derealization at some point. However, when these feelings persist or never go away and affect your ability to function properly, it is known as depersonalization derealization disorder. This disorder is more common in people who have had traumatic experiences.

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In other words, you feel like “you” are not in control. You are an observer of this thing called life. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression.

It is important to note, however, that the exact cause of the depersonalization is unknown and is most often associated with trauma.

This brings us back to the original post.

Was it cannabis or the trauma of cancer?

The original poster wrote about how they started smoking and then got cancer.

“It was pretty good so I did it a lot, then after a while I got serious health problems (unrelated to cannabis, if you just want to leave a comment, I had a tumor near my papilla) after undergoing treatment I struggled badly with anticipatory nausea, constipation to the point where I got hemorrhoids, constant pain not from the tumor but from chemotherapy. I smoked a lot more, I smoked like every night so my parents wouldn’t know. For some people this is normal and they can handle it, but I got to a point where most of the time I couldn’t get any higher. ”

That sounds like a pretty traumatic event to a teenager. As a result, he smoked more cannabis to cope with the effects of chemotherapy and shortly afterwards began to feel “sluggish” and “not himself”.

Photo by Rafael Elias / Getty Images

Cannabis may have played a role in this, but it’s much more likely that the very idea of ​​a tumor on your being’s optic disc could create a lot more stress and anxiety. Coupled with teenage anxiety, you may have a perfect recipe for depersonalization.

However, this was not the only case; I also saw a tweet from a girl talking about the same condition. Likewise, the girl was in her teenage years.

What about the impermanence of the identity of newer generations that these are the psychological states that manifest themselves in society? When I was growing up, this wasn’t the main problem.

Can cannabis depersonalize you?

According to Psychiatry Online:

Some people who use cannabis will never experience depersonalization or derealization during or after using cannabis (5). However, depersonalization and derealization remain potential side effects of cannabis (12) that many clinicians are unaware of (5). In general, cannabis-induced depersonalization and derealization symptoms are tied to the period of intoxication, peaking around 30 minutes after ingestion and resolving within 120 minutes of ingesting the drug (12, 13). In a subgroup of cannabis users, however, symptoms of depersonalization or derealization persist for weeks, months, or years even after discontinuing the substance (3, 5). Those who have persistent symptoms may have cannabis-induced depersonalization derealization disorder (2, 10).

RELATED: Study Shows Marijuana Can Ruin People’s Lives at Any Age

In other words, there is some evidence that this is possible for a subset of people – those who already have certain mental disorders.

I’ve never experienced complete depersonalization from a drug (in the psychonautical world we call it “ego death”), but I see how this can be possible – especially from edibles.

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When I was really “depersonalized” and not in the driver’s seat, I stumbled upon too many alcohol-mixed Klonopins, even around the age of 15-16.

During that stint, I tripped and passed out for about three days while “someone else” was in the driver’s seat. I came into consciousness for a few moments, interacted with people, passed out, and came back online a few hours later in an entirely different situation.

Fortunately, by this point I already had my fair share of psychedelics and knew how to get through the trip. Three days later, the substances left my body and I finally regained control.

I also learned not to mess with pharmaceutical drugs – that stuff is dangerous!

Sticky end result

I know there are some cannabis users out there who don’t like negative press about cannabis, and for good reason. However, I also think it is important that we carefully evaluate all drugs and recognize that drugs affect people differently.

The fact that YOU are safe to consume as much cannabis as possible doesn’t mean that there are other people out there who might not experience side effects on the plant. Eat enough edibles with a fragile mind and you could send them into a spiral of darkness that they are not prepared for.

I was lucky when I was overdone with my teenage experiences, but I also saw my fair share of people negatively affected by drugs.

So it is possible to undergo depersonalization with cannabis, but this is not often the case. If you have mental health issues, it is preferable that you consume fewer strains of THC.

Don’t act like a fool – you have to be responsible for your own consumption.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.