There are different types of cannabis. The most common types are grass and hash. 

Grass (weed) is made from the dried leaves and flowering parts of the cannabis plant. Skunk is a strong strain of grass. Hash is made from the resin of the cannabis plant and can be black, brown and soft or hard in appearance.

Cannabis contains many chemicals, including THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which makes you feel high or stoned.

Synthetic cannabinoids are solids or oils, which are added to dried herbs, vegetable matter or plant cuttings to make a smoking mixture. A well-known synthetic cannabinoid is Spice. More recently, synthetic cannabis edibles that look like gummies, lollipops and other sweets have emerged.

Synthetic cannabinoids are especially dangerous because it is impossible to know how strong they are and how it will affect people. Even tiny amounts of the drug can be very potent. 

How is cannabis used? 

Cannabis is usually smoked in a cigarette called a ‘joint’ and normally rolled with tobacco. Cannabis is also smoked in a pipe or a water ‘bong’ (a pipe which passes the smoke through water to cool it).

Cannabis can also be vaped. Vaporisers get hot enough to release the THC - which is the part of the plant that gets people stoned - whilst reducing the level of toxins.

When cannabis is smoked or vaporised the effects are usually noticeable quickly.

Cannabis can also be mixed with other ingredients and eaten in biscuits (cookies) or cakes. The effects take longer to come on when cannabis is eaten making it harder to control the dose.

What are the effects of cannabis?

Cannabis affects people in different ways. It depends on how you’re already feeling, how much you smoke and where and who you are with. But, if you smoke it, you’ll feel the effects quickly.

The effects range from feeling relaxed, happy, giggly and laid back to feeling sleepy, confused, anxious and paranoid.

What are the problems with cannabis?

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Cannabis is usually smoked with tobacco which is known to cause serious health problems including cancer and heart disease. The nicotine in tobacco is very addictive and damaging to your health.

Your lungs are not meant to take in hot, noxious gases, so smoking cannabis, even on its own, is not good for your lungs.

MENTAL HEALTH

If you feel down, cannabis will probably make you feel worse. You may feel sick, confused and worried – but these feeling will normally wear off as the cannabis does.

Be aware of how you feel when you smoke cannabis. If you start to feel anxious, paranoid or stressed out, you should think about cutting down or stopping altogether. Some research suggests that if you have an underlying mental health problem or one that you may not know about, using cannabis may bring it on.

DEPENDENCY

Using cannabis can become a habit. Regular users may find it hard to stop. If you smoke cannabis with tobacco, you may find it even more difficult to give up cigarettes.

MOTIVATION

When you use cannabis, you may keep forgetting what you’re doing and find it hard to concentrate. You might find you can’t work or study properly. You may still feel spaced out the next day.

ACCIDENTS

Cannabis can make you clumsy and slow to react. Never smoke cannabis if you are going to drive or operate machinery.

Reducing risks

The best way to avoid the risk associated with drugs is not to use drugs. But if you are using, or considering using cannabis the advice below will help minimise the risks to your health.

Don’t mix it with tobacco. Tobacco is addictive and is proven to cause cancer and heart disease.

Don’t hold smoke in your lungs. You won’t get more stoned. It just means more tar and other nasty chemicals will stick to your lungs.

Don’t use a cigarette filter for a roach. You will inhale more tar. Use plain card, loosely rolled up, for a roach. This lets the smoke flow easily.

Don’t use plastic bottles, rubber hoses, PVC, foil and aluminium. These give off toxic fumes when hot. Glass, steel or brass pipes are safer.

Maybe you like to get high, but not everyone does. Show some respect. Don’t smoke near people who don’t use cannabis – especially children and people with breathing problems.

In control

If one of your friends is having a bad time, sit them somewhere quiet and comfortably, away from others. Stay calm and keep them calm, take their mind off things by talking to them.

Cannabis lowers blood-sugar levels. You will feel better if you have something sweet to eat or drink.

If you feel bad when stoned, you should think about stopping.  Give your mind and your body a break.

If you are trying to cut down, avoid places, people or events that remind you of cannabis.

Cannabis and the law

Cannabis is a Class B drug. It is illegal to possess, produce or supply the drug.

Possessing cannabis is punishable by up to five years imprisonment and an unlimited fine. Supplying cannabis (including giving some to a friend) is punishable by up to life imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

You can be arrested for drug-driving, lose your licence, or go to prison. The police can test for drugs on a roadside stop check.

For more detailed information about the law, visit the Release website.