Cannabis

cannabis; marijuana; drug; hashish; hash; oil; law; health; smoke; pot; dope; grass; weed; reefer; joint; smoking; tobacco; cigarette; cancer; psychosis; bong;

Contents

• What is cannabis?
• What does it look like?
• How is it used?
• What does cannabis do to your body?
• Why do people use cannabis?
• Risks - short-term
• The not so good stuff - long-term
• Medical uses for cannabis
• Cannabis and the law
• Worried about a friend using cannabis?
• Giving up
• Resources
• References

Dope, marijuana, weed, pot, cones, mull, wacky baccy... whatever you call it, cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in Australia. Many people view it as a 'soft' drug, one that mellows people out and doesn't cause any harm - but its use is not without health risks.

Cannabis is illegal throughout Australia, as it is in just about every country in the world. Using, possessing, growing and selling cannabis is illegal in South Australia. This means you can't have any part of the plant, including the seeds.

What is cannabis?

Cannabis comes from the cannabis or hemp plant. Cannabis sativa is the most common variety of the plant that is used as a drug.

• 'Marijuana' usually refers to the dried flowers ('heads' or buds) and leaves of the cannabis plant.
• Hashish (hash) is the compressed resin or sap from the cannabis flowers.
• Hash oil is a concentrated oil made from the cannabis plant.

The word 'cannabis' refers to the plant itself, as well as the products that are used - the dried flowers, leaves, hash and hash oil.

What does it look like?

The cannabis plant looks like a fairly plain green plant, with distinctive leaves that are pointed and serrated around the edges.

• The mature plant has flowers with sticky brown or white hairs that contain lots of the active ingredients of cannabis.
• Sometimes the flowers can have red, gold, orange or purple colours as well.

Cannabis is often sold in bags containing the dried heads and leaves.

• The leaves looks a bit like dried herbs such as parsley.
• The dried heads have tightly packed fine leaves and sticky hairs, and can be green or grey/green with different amounts of brown, orange, red, gold or purple in them.

Hash is shaped into blocks. The colour can be anything from light brown to black.

Hash oil can be quite pale to dark brown in colour.

How is it used?

Cannabis is most often smoked.

• Cannabis in all its forms can be smoked in a cigarette called a 'joint', sometimes rolled with tobacco.
• It is often smoked in a pipe or a water 'bong' (a pipe which passes the smoke through water to cool and filter it). A full pipe-load is called a 'cone'.
• If smoked, cannabis usually affects the person quite quickly.

Sometime people will eat cannabis, mixed with other ingredients, eg. in biscuits (cookies) or cakes.

• If it is eaten, the effects take much longer to be felt, but can build up and get stronger over a longer time.
• It is much harder for someone to control the dose of the drug when cannabis is eaten.

What does cannabis do to you?

The main active ingredient that makes people feel 'stoned' is THC or delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol. There are many other chemicals in cannabis, some of which also act on the brain.

Cannabis affects your mood, thinking, concentration, sense of time and memory. Some of the effects are viewed as pleasant, and some are not always pleasant.

The effects vary depending on the person using the cannabis and the situation in which they use it - but some of the immediate effects of using cannabis are:

• feeling anxious, panicky, depressed or paranoid
• bloodshot eyes
• dry mouth
• feeling hungry
• poorer short-term memory
• poor concentration - it can be difficult to pay attention
• losing track of time - ten minutes might seem like an hour
• changes in mood - for better or for worse
• changes in thinking - ie. seeing things from a different point of view
• poor coordination - eg. you may feel off balance
• heart beats faster
• blood pressure changes - eg. sometimes people might feel giddy on standing up
• some people feel that their breathing isn't right.

Why do people use cannabis?

Cannabis can make people feel 'high' or 'stoned'. A group of young people gave the following reasons for why they use cannabis:

• for relaxation
• for socialising
• to relieve boredom
• to cope with stress
• for peer acceptance - eg. because all their friends use it
• to manage pain
• for the adventure of taking a risk
• to forget problems
• to experiment
• to rebel against adults, or have a secret from parents
• to help get to sleep.

Another reason that some people give for using cannabis is that they believe it can be helpful with certain illnesses - see below under 'Medical uses for cannabis'.

Risks - short-term

When a person uses cannabis, there are some risks to consider:

• Cannabis can affect a person's driving, sometimes causing accidents.
  • If cannabis is used with alcohol, the effects on driving are much worse.
• There is an increased risk of psychotic episodes (psychosis is when a person sees, hears or feels something that is not there, or thinks that people are trying to harm them).
  • Some people have a pre-disposition to psychotic mental illnesses, and using cannabis can trigger the illness.
  • People with a personal or family history of psychotic illness should not use cannabis.
• There may be a hangover after the drug wears off.
  • You might feel tired or have a headache the next day, and co-ordination may be poor. This may affect school or work performance.

The not so good stuff - long-term

Heavy or long-term use of cannabis has other harmful effects.

Respiratory harm

Cannabis contains more harmful tars than tobacco - one joint can equal about 8 cigarettes. Smoking marijuana over a long period can increase the risk of:

• chronic bronchitis
• cancers of the lung, mouth and throat.

Dependence

Cannabis users can become dependent on it, and cannabis dependence is much more common than people used to think.

• Dependence is when a person's life becomes centred on using cannabis, and they feel quite stressed if they can't get it.
  • They have difficulty controlling their use - they sometimes use more than they intended, and are often trying to quit.
  • They give up other activities in order to use cannabis.
  • They continue to use cannabis even when it is causing them problems.
• Tolerance can occur, where the person needs more cannabis to get the same "high".
• There can be some withdrawal symptoms if a dependent person goes without cannabis, such as sleep problems, irritability, feeling anxious, loss of appetite and having an upset stomach.
  • This goes away after a few days of not using cannabis, although there may be sleep problems for longer.

Pregnancy

Pregnant women who use cannabis face some risks.

• They are more likely to have a child of low birth weight
• They have an increased risk of having a premature baby
• There is a risk of some birth defects.

Memory

Attention and memory may be affected, which means that schoolwork or jobs become difficult, or it may be harder to find employment.

Depression

Teenagers who use cannabis regularly are much more likely to suffer from depression.

Motivation

People who use dope often say that they have low motivation.

• They find it hard to get on with the things in their life.
• This can lead to problems with school, friends, money, work, and life in general.

Social life

Heavy cannabis users often find that they are only hanging out with other cannabis users.

• They may lose contact with old friends who don't use cannabis.
• They may start to feel isolated and down.
• The cost of using cannabis all the time can restrict the other activities they could be doing.

Relationships

• Parents, partners or friends of heavy cannabis users may hassle them about their use, causing arguments and conflict.
• Being stoned a lot can affect how people communicate - for the worse.

Money

• Smoking cannabis regularly can be a very costly habit.
• Some people have to resort to selling it or doing other illegal activities to get the money for dope.

Medical uses for cannabis

Cannabis has been used to help people with certain illnesses. In some places in the world, doctors have been able to legally try giving it to people who are sick. Medical use of cannabis is not legal in South Australia.

• It may help people feel less sick (nauseous) when they are being treated with chemotherapy for cancer.
• It may help people with glaucoma, an eye condition.
• It may help in relieving some types of pain .
• Cannabis can help people with AIDS by making them hungry enough to eat, by making their mood better and by helping them to feel less sick.

Because smoking cannabis is bad for the lungs, it has sometimes been given to patients in controlled amounts to be eaten, eg. baked in biscuits.

• Researchers have also tried giving it to people in 'pill' form, as capsules containing THC.

Cannabis and the law

In most countries cannabis is illegal. You need to check the law where you live. In Australia it is illegal to possess any part of the cannabis plant, including the seeds.

South Australia

Using, possessing, growing and selling cannabis is illegal in South Australia. This means you can't have any part of the plant, including the seeds.

• With small amounts, you can be given an 'on the spot' fine, or charged with a criminal offence. A lot of young people mistakenly think that it's legal to use small amounts of cannabis in South Australia. Going to court or failing to pay fines for a cannabis offence can result in the young person having a criminal record.
• Larger amounts of cannabis bring harsher penalties. You can be charged with a criminal ofence and get a criminal record if you are found with:
  • 100 grams of marijuana or more
  • over 20 grams of cannabis resin or more
  • more than 1 plant
• Driving under the influence of cannabis is also an offence.

For young people under 18 years of age in South Australia, the law for cannabis offences differs from the law for adults.

• The police can give an informal or a formal caution, refer the young person to a Drug Diversion Program (where they will be assessed by a health worker), or send the young person to a family conference. The young person may have to go to court.

Some countries (such as the USA) may not allow a person to visit there if they have criminal convictions.

• In some places, being caught with cannabis is likely to result in a criminal conviction, which means you will have a criminal record.
• In some countries, possession of cannabis may result in a jail term.

For more information on cannabis and the law, see Resources (below).

Worried about a friend using cannabis?

If your friend uses cannabis a lot, you could try talking with him or her. This may not be easy - they might get angry or deny the problem.

• Stay calm and reasonable, stick to the point and don't get drawn into other arguments.
• Let your friend know you care for him or her, but are concerned about his or her behaviour and health.
• Don't try talking to your friend when he or she is stoned, and don't get angry with them.
• You can't make them change - you can only try to help them see how cannabis is affecting their life and health.
• Resources for counselling and further information appear below.

Giving up

You may have been using cannabis and want to give up for health, legal or social reasons. Cutting down is one choice, but many people say the best way is to 'go cold turkey' (completely stop). If you just cut down, you're likely to end up using more again.

Here are some tips to help you quit. If you are finding it hard, a counsellor can help you with quitting.

• Be clear about your reasons for giving up - write them down as a reminder.
• Set a date to stop and stick to it.
• Get involved in new activities to replace using cannabis.
• Keep away from the old situations where you used to get stoned.
• Ask a friend for support.
• Say out loud to people that you're not into it any more.
• Reward yourself - maybe use the money you would have used to buy cannabis for something you really want.
• Check out this workbook from the Eastern Alcohol and Drug Service (Victoria). You can download 'Getting out of it' - it may help you quit or cut down:
  http://o.b5z.net/i/u/6136340/i/Getting_out_of_it.pdf

Resources

South Australia

• Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) 1300 131 340. This is a 24 hour line toll free statewide line in South Australia. ADIS can provide written information and telephone advice.
• Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (education, clinics)
  (08) 8274 3333.
  http://www.dassa.sa.gov.au/
• Legal Services Commission:
  free telephone advice within South Australia Adelaide: 8205 0155
  Country callers within S.A.: 1800 188 126.
• The Second Story Youth Health Service (TSS)
  - Central: 57 Hyde St, Adelaide
  - South: 50a Beach Rd, Christies Beach
  - North: 6 Gillingham Rd, Elizabeth
  - West: 51 Bower St, Woodville
  Contact TSS offices via the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19,
  or for mobile phone callers (08) 8303 1691 - normal rates apply.
• Australian Drug Information Network
  www.adin.com.au
• Lawstuff
  www.lawstuff.org.au

The Second Story Youth Health Service teamed up with Mission Australia in 2006 to bring together young people from five high schools in the South of Adelaide. Two thirty second community service announcement advertisements were produced for the Get Reel competition. You can download them from our Resources>Videos page.

Australia

• Eastern Alcohol and Drug Service (Victoria) 'Getting out of it: How to cut down or quit cannabis'
  http://o.b5z.net/i/u/6136340/i/Getting_out_of_it.pdf
• Drug Info Clearinghouse 'Multicultural DrugInfo' http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/multicultural
• LEAD is a resource from The Australian government Department of Education, Science and Training. It is written for teachers or organisers to help them run fun drug education forums. Forums can be done in different ways, like a quiz night for example. But it contains lots of fun games and quizzes that anyone could use for an activity:
• To search for a helpline in your state check out Helplines Australia.
  http://www.helplines.org.au/
• Save-A-Mate (SAM) is a program of the Red Cross. SAM promotes health and wellbeing of young people through peer education and support on issues such as alcohol and other drug use, and mental health.
  http://www.saveamate.org.au/
• The National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre and Helpline. You can call anytime and leave a message but someone should be there between 2 and 11 every day except Saturday: 1800 30 40 50.
  http://ncpic.org.au/
• Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia
  http://www.adca.org.au/

References

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia. 'Cannabis Information'. (PDF document - 307Kb)
http://www.dassa.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/IS_Cannabis.pdf

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia. 'Cannabis Laws in South Australia'  2006. 
http://www.dassa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=129

Henquet C, et al. 'Prospective cohort study of cannabis use, predisposition for psycholsis, and psychotic symptoms in young people' British Medical Journal (BMJ) Jan 2005; 300:11  
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/...

Law Stuff:
www.lawstuff.org.au

Patton G C, Coffey C, Carlin J B, Degenhardt L, Lynsky M and Hall W. 'Cannabis use and mental health in young people: Cohort study'. British Medical Journal (BMJ), 23 November 2002, vol.325 p:1195-1198.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/...

The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).