4. Conclusion
This review has demonstrated that Cannabis is one of the highly consumed
prohibited drug substance although it has been legalized in some
countries such as Canada for recreational and medicinal use due to
cannabinoids present in it. Arguably, there is a rise in the rates of
cannabis consumption across the world and with various designed
techniques that enable the consumption of this drug. Some of the
identified techniques include smoking, vaporizing techniques, skin and
mucosal surface absorption with each method offering exceptional and
dissimilar outcomes. Nonetheless, this drug is in many ways considered
dangerous for human consumption but there is limited number of research
that has expressively reported the perceived cannabis toxicity and its
cancer precursor characteristics. Although various authors have linked
cannabis to human throat cancer and cancer of the respiratory tract
system, there is luck of substantive evidence that establishes the
mechanisms by which cannabis and its cannabinoids induces cancer.
Instead, other toxic compounds produced during cannabis smoking such as
carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like benzanthracene,
benzene and phenols, toxic gases and reactive oxygen species have been
identified to be present in cannabis smoke and therefore likely to
initiate cell mutations among smokers which eventually initiate cancer.
On the contrary, cannabis has found application in the medical field in
the management of cancer patients to relieve pain, inflammatory bowel
disease, epilepsy, neurological problems and psychiatric disorders.
Besides, cannabis has been identified as a potential lead in finding the
cure for treating Covid-19 diseases because of its high potency as
antiviral agent even though more scientific studies and clinical trials
are necessary.