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Cannabis creates psychoactive states of euphoria, relaxation, and altered states of consciousness, with many users reporting mystical and spiritual experiences. Cannabis has held sacred status in several religions and has served, like the hallucinogens, as an entheogen, a drug used in religious, shamanic, and spiritual contexts, especially centuries ago in the Indian subcontinent during the Hindu Vedic period. The Hindu god Shiva has been described as a cannabis user, known as the Lord of Ghang.

Although cannabis may cause transpersonal experiences, it is not currently perceived as a possible psychotherapeutic medication. In fact, with its widespread recreational use, cannabis has become,like alcohol, another socially accepted drug. Because of its illegality, research has been limited; however, primary findings indicate use can increase anxiety, panic attacks, impaired attention and memory, and psychotic symptoms. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) about 9 percent who experiment with marijuana develop a cannabis related mental disorder, compared to 20 percent for cocaine, 23 percent for alcohol and 68 percent for nicotine.