Cannabis is the most popular illicit drug in the Western world. Repeated cannabis use has been associated with short‐ and long‐term side effects, including respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, cognitive alterations, psychosis, schizophrenia, and mood disorders. However, casual relations between cannabis use and these adverse effects are missing. On the other hand, recent research proposed promising therapeutic potential of cannabinoid‐based drugs for a wide range of medical conditions, including neurological and psychiatric disorders. The current article presents a contemporary review on the adverse effects, safety, and the therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoid‐based drugs. Given the growing popularity in the use of cannabinoid‐based drugs for both recreational and medical purposes and their potential harmful effects, there is a need for further investigation in this field.

There is a growing use of novel psychoactive substances containing synthetic cannabinoids. Synthetic cannabinoid products have effects similar to those of natural cannabis, yet, these drugs are more potent and dangerous, and have been associated with dangerous adverse effects. Here, we review current literature on the epidemiology, acute, and chronic effects of synthetic and natural cannabinoid-based drugs. Synthetic drugs contain a mixture of psychoactive compounds that mostly bind cannabinoid receptors with high potency. These synthetic drugs replicate the effects of natural cannabis and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol but they induce more severe adverse effects including respiratory difficulties, hypertension, tachycardia, chest pain, muscle twitches, acute renal failure, anxiety, agitation, psychosis, suicidal ideation, and cognitive impairment. Chronic use of synthetic cannabinoids has been associated with serious psychiatric and medical conditions and even death. Given the growing popularity in the use of cannabinoid-based drugs and their harmful potential, there is a need for further research in this field.

This study showed impairment of executive function in synthetic cannabinoid users compared with recreational users of cannabis and non-users. This may have major implications for our understanding of the long-term consequences of synthetic cannabinoid based drugs.

Background—Cannabis is the most popular illicit drug in the Western world. Repeated cannabis use has been associated with short and long-term range of adverse effects. Recently, new types of designer-drugs containing synthetic cannabinoids have been widespread. These synthetic cannabinoid drugs are associated with undesired adverse effects similar to those seen with cannabis use, yet, in more severe and long-lasting forms. Method—A literature search was conducted using electronic bibliographic databases up to 31 December 2017. Specific search strategies were employed using multiple keywords (e.g., “synthetic cannabinoids AND cognition,” “cannabis AND cognition” and “cannabinoids AND cognition”). Results—The search has yielded 160 eligible studies including 37 preclinical studies (5 attention, 25 short-term memory, 7 cognitive flexibility) and 44 human studies (16 attention, 15 working memory, 13 cognitive flexibility). Both pre-clinical and clinical studies demonstrated an association between synthetic cannabinoids and executive-function impairment either after acute or repeated consumptions. These deficits differ in severity depending on several factors including the type of drug, dose of use, quantity, age of onset and duration of use. Conclusions—Understanding the nature of the impaired executive function following consumption of synthetic cannabinoids is crucial in view of the increasing use of these drugs.

Sexual addiction otherwise known as compulsive sexual behavior is associated with serious psychosocial problems and risk-taking behavior. This study used the Cybersex addiction test, Craving for pornography questionnaire, and a Questionnaire on intimacy among 267 participants (192 males and 75 females) mean age for males 28.16 (SD = 6.8) and for females 25.5 (SD = 5.13) who were recruited from special sites that are dedicated to pornography and cybersex on the Internet. Results of regression analysis indicated that pornography, gender, and cybersex significantly predicted difficulties in intimacy and it accounted for 66.1% of the variance of rating on the intimacy questionnaire. Second, regression analysis also indicated that craving for pornography, gender, and difficulties in forming intimate relationships significantly predicted frequency of cybersex use and it accounted for 83.7% of the variance in ratings of cybersex use. Third, men had higher scores of frequency of using cybersex than women [t(2,224) = 1.97, p < 0.05] and higher scores of craving for pornography than women [t(2,265) = 3.26, p < 0.01] and no higher scores on the questionnaire measuring difficulties in forming intimate relationship than women [t(2,224) = 1, p = 0.32]. These findings support previous evidence for sex differences in compulsive sexual behavior.

Recreational and chronic cannabis use has been associated with a range of acute and chronic effects including; anti‐nociceptive actions, anxiety, depression, psychotic symptoms and neurocognitive impairments. The mechanisms underlying cannabinoid‐based drugs effects are not fully known but given the neuro‐modulatory functions of the endocannabinoid system, it seems likely that agonistic activity at the cannabinoid type‐1 receptors (CB1) might modulate the functions of other neurotransmitter systems. The present review has summarized the currently available pre‐clinical and clinical data on the interactions of CB1 and cannabinoid type‐2 receptors (CB2) with the central neurotransmitters; dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, GABA, glutamate and opioids. Acute and chronic exposures to cannabinoids exert pharmacological alterations in the mammalian brain that have profound implications for our understanding of the neuropharmacology of cannabinoid‐based drugs and their effects on mental health and the brain. A recent emergence uses of cannabis for medical purpose together with legalization and decriminalization of cannabis and increasing use of highly potent synthetic cannabinoids raise a growing concern over the effects of cannabinoids and their interaction with other neurotransmitters on physical and mental health.

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Background and aims: Sexual addiction, also known as hypersexual disorder, is associated with serious psychosocial problems for many people. Methods: This study used questionnaires to investigate the effects of gender, sexual orientation and attachment (avoidance and anxiety) on sexual compulsion among 100 heterosexual and homosexual men and women. Results: A positive correlation was found between anxious attachment and sexual compulsivity (r = 0.46; p < 0.01) and a positive correlation between avoidant attachment and sexual compulsivity (r = 0.39; p £ 0.01) in all participants. Secondly, an analysis of covariance showed a gender by sexual orientation interaction effect [F(1, 103) = 6.39, p < 0.01] but no attachment effect on sexual compulsivity. A follow-up comparison showed that lesbian women had higher rates of sexual compulsivity than heterosexual women [t(2, 50) = 5.08, p < 0.001] whereas there was non-significant difference in sexual compulsivity between homosexual and heterosexual men [t(2, 50) = 1.30, p = N.S.]. Discussion: The results provide preliminary evidence for an association between attachment and sexual compulsivity and the effects of gender and sexual orientation on sexual compulsivity.