Cannabis: Reading List

Of all illicit substances, cannabis stands out as the most extensively cultivated, trafficked, and misused. It has significant effects on the human body and mind, altering sensory perceptions, mood, cognitive abilities, motor coordination, and sense of self and time. In this reading list, you can find out more about cannabis and cannabis use. You can also visit the ISSUP network dedicated to the topic for further reading materials and resources.

1) The alcohol and drug foundation have put together a factsheet on cannabis, which provides a definition, information about how it is used, the impact of cannabis use, polydrug use and withdrawal. It also shares informaiton about cannabis and the law and other statistics. 

2) In this ISSUP webinar recording, you can find out moder about the different health conditions that are treated by medical cannabis and some of the different guidelines used by professionals to inform their practice. The presenter also offers a matrix that can be used to help decision making when working with people who use medical cannabis in substance use settings.

3) ATTC has put together a ten-part webinar series that explores and reviews the latest science for cannabis including prevention and treatment issues; public policy; medical marijuana; and special populations and cannabis

4) This report, developed by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), provides the latest clinical evidence on how cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding can affect a developing fetus and infant.

5) In this research article, published in the journal of clinical medicine, the authors explore the relationship between cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and comorbid mental health conditions.

6) EMCDDA has organised two webinars on the topic of cannabis, which are available here. The first webinar delves into the health and social responses to cannabis-related issues, while the second one examines the ongoing debate surrounding cannabis control approaches across Europe.

7) The alcohol and drug foundation have developed a helpful overview about the difference between decriminalisation and legalisation. You can read the full article here.

8) The third booklet of the UNODC World Drug Report 2022, focuses on cannabis and opioids. The first chapter of the book provides the latest estimates on cannabis use and discusses the latest trends in regional cannabis markets. It also explores regulation of cannabis products, the impact on public health and public safety.