HHS Letter: Common Responses to Marijuana in Humans

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Common Responses to Marijuana in Humans. On August 29, 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) send a letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recommending that it reschedule cannabis (marijuana) from Schedule I to Schedule III. Read our comprehensive 3,800-word analysis of cannabis rescheduling to Schedule III here.

U.S. Health & Human Services

As much excitement and media attention as the letter created within the cannabis industry, the issue over which thought leaders obsessed was the shift to Schedule III. Unfortunately the letter itself couldn't be analyzed because it was not released to the public.

That all changed in mid-January when the HHS published the full 252-page letter that was sent to the DEA last August. Among those hundreds of densely scientific pages, the letter's authors included a unique list of "common responses to marijuana in humans," listed below.

Common Responses to Marijuana in Humans

Positive Subjective Responses

• Euphoria

• Pleasurable "rush" or "buzz"

• Merriment

• Happiness

• Exhilaration

Sedative Responses

• Sedation

• Drowsiness

• Relaxation

• Changes in sleep

Pot changes sleep.

Anxiety and Negative Responses

• Anxiety

• Panic attack

• Fearfulness

• Agitation

• Paranoia

• Restlessness

• Dysphoria

Perceptual Changes

• Hallucinations

• Feelings seem stronger

• Sexual enhancement

• Spiritual enhancement

• Changes in time perception

• Changes in perception (sight, sound, taste, smell, touch)

A marijuana leaf.

Psychiatric, Social, and Cognitive Changes

• Drug abuse

• Illusions

• Delusions

• Depersonalization

• Heightened imagination

• Disinhibition

• Emotional lability

• Memory and concentration impairment

• Disorganized thinking

• Impaired judgment

• Confusion

• Increased sociability

• Talkativeness

Physiological Responses

• Nausea

• Tachycardia

• Facial flushing

• Dry mouth

• Tremor

• Dizziness

• Increased appetite, especially for sweet and fatty foods

• Reduced coordination

• Ataxia

• Hyperemesis

View the original HHS letter.

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