In brief, paranoia. If I were to smoke some weed now, I'd be acutely paranoid in minutes, and it is only through cannabis use that I experience such feelings. But this condition took several years to come about. At first the effects of cannabis were benign; giggles, enhanced enjoyment of music, the munchies, same as everyone else. Any feelings of paranoia were directed towards the real danger of arrest.

However, over time, over several years, the ratio of pleasure to paranoia totally changed.

But, in my experience, these feelings, this 'progress' is not unusual.

I am not an academic. I talk, mainly, from my personal experience. I am not proud to say that I started to abuse alcohol, to drink heavily. I see this behaviour in terms of self medication for depression. But, I had two friends who continued with a lifestyle of heavy cannabis use, and they both, separately, committed suicide, many years ago. And the dope, I'm convinced, and to put it mildly, didn't help. And basically, when I meet people from those days who are still puffing away, or if I have dealings with any long term potheads, it is to meet people whose minds seemed to have turned to jelly a long time ago.

I am aware of how what I am saying could be misconstrued. 'How I became an alcoholic and saved my life'. But the point I'm trying to make is, when I see cannabis being set up as some wonder drug, I feel obliged to point out that there is another side to the story.