What is Cannabis?

Cannabis contains a collection of chemicals which block brain signals. The active chemical in cannabis can make you feel happy and relaxed. When these feelings wear off you may feel sleepy, depressed, anxious, panicky, paranoid and fearful. This chemical stays in the brain longer than our body’s natural chemicals. Smoking cannabis has also been linked to lung cancer and other lung diseases. Long term use of cannabis has been shown to cause long term mental health problems in some people.

Service user story

“I smoked cannabis for four or five years after my brain injury, thinking it would help erase what had happened. This was not the case, my disability was ten times worse, my eyesight altered, I felt paranoid to the extent I would lock myself away from society and made a small thought turn into a bigger thought. Now I have stopped using cannabis I have my emotions back, I feel human again, I enjoy being around people and am financially better off”.

The above extract was by a 37-year-old male service user who battled and overcame the use of cannabis following a brain injury.

The effects of cannabis

Immediate effects:

  • Impairs short term memory
  • Decreases attention
  • Alters judgement
  • Reduces co-ordination and balance
  • Increases heart rate
  • Increases the chance of psychotic episodes

Even when initial effects have worn off and it is out of your system, you can still experience longer lasting effects of cannabis, including impaired memory, reduced learning skills, and poor sleep habits.

Effects of prolonged use:

  • Addiction
  • Increased risk of anxiety
  • Increased risk of depression
  • Increased risk of mental health disorders
  • Increased risk of other health problems such as a chronic cough / bronchitis

Cannabis and brain injury

  1. Cannabis can slow down the body’s natural healing process. It can delay your rate of recovery.
  2. Cannabis affects your learning, memory, planning , problem solving, reaction time s and attention. All of which you may find difficult anyway because of your brain injury.
  3. Anxiety is common following a brain injury. Cannabis can actually increase your anxieties and worries.
  4. Cannabis is often used to help mask stress and forget about worries. But it can cause increased paranoid thinking.
  5. Personality and mood changes can occur following a brain injury; these can become more prevalent when using cannabis.

If you would like this information in another format, please speak to a member of CWP staff or email cwp.info@nhs.net.

June 2016 Version 1
www.cwp.nhs.uk