Introduction
Appearance and use
Cost
Purity
Effects
Chances of getting hooked
Risks
The Law
The most widely used illegal drug in Britain. It's a naturally
occurring drug made from parts of the cannabis plant. It's a sedative
and mild hallucinogen that makes some people feel chilled out and
others feel sick. It's not very expensive and widely available.
ID: Bhang, black, blast, blow, blunts. Bob Hope, bush, dope, draw,
ganja, grass, hash, hashish, hemp, herb, marijuana, pot, puff,
Northern Lights, resin, sensi, sensemilla, shit, skunk, smoke,
soap, spliff, wacky backy, weed, zero. Some names are based on
where it comes from... Afghan, homegrown, Moroccan etc
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Appearance and Use
Cannabis comes in different forms.
Hash is a blacky-brown lump made from the resin of the plant. It's
quite often squidgey. Grass or weed is the dried leaves of the
plant. It looks like tightly packed dried garden herbs.
Less common is sensimilla. This is bud grown in the absence of
male plants and has no seeds. And cannabis oil which is dark and
sticky and comes in a small jar.
Most people mix cannabis up with tobacco and smoke it as a spliff
or a joint. Some people put it in a pipe. Others make tea with
it or stick it in food like cakes.
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Cost
About £7.50 for a 'teenth' or sixteenth of an ounce.
About £15 for an 'eighth' of an ounce. And about £25
for a 'quarter'.
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Purity
Some unsuspecting people have been known to buy blocks of mud,
stock cubes and garden herbs from people pretending
to be dealers. The most unpure Cannabis is called 'soap
bar'.
It's contaminated
with all sorts of things. This makes it cheaper
but it's a false economy really as it is often harder to
get stoned.
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Effects
The effects of any drug have a lot to do with who
the users are with, what mood they're in and
how much of
the drug they take.
Cannabis is no exception.
- The effects are immediate and last from about an hour to a few
hours. Smoking more will make the effects
last longer.
- Smoking a spliff makes most people happy, relaxed and at peace
with the world but the effects
vary from person to person. Some people have one puff and feel sick. Others get
the giggles
until
the muscles in their face hurt.
- Cannabis is quite an introspective drug. Once stoned, users can
find hidden depths in daytime
television/ the most unlikely song lyrics.
- It's a mild hallucinogen. Colours and sounds appear brighter and
sharper.
- It affects co-ordination. So it can make people a bit unsteady
on their feet.
- Some people use it to relieve muscle pain associated with illnesses
like MS (Multiple Sclerosis).
- Someone who's been smoking a lot will have bloodshot eyes, a dry
mouth and may well have
their head in the fridge. Hunger pangs are known as 'getting the munchies'.
There
is a flip side:
- Even hardcore smokers can get anxious, panicky and suspicious.
- Cannabis screws with short-term memory.
- Eating or drinking the drug delays the effects and can make them
stronger
and longer lasting.
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Chances of getting hooked
There is a minimal risk of physical dependence.
Psychological dependency occurs in
about 10% of users. There are no
physical withdrawal
symptoms if you've only been using
for a short while and there should be no problem
stopping
(unless you get
addicted to the tobacco).
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Risks
Most of the risks associated with cannabis are linked to regular,
heavy use.
- Cannabis has a high concentration of chemical 'nasties' that cause
cancer.
- Smoking anything can give you heart problems, bronchitis and cancer.
- Cannabis can make asthma worse. And it's not a good idea with heart
disease, high blood pressure or at risk from strokes.
- Regular, heavy use makes it harder to learn and concentrate.
- Frequent use of cannabis can cut a man's sperm count and suppress
ovulation in women.
- Some people begin to feel tired all the time and can't seem to
get motivated.
- Some research has made a link between cannabis and mental illnesses
like schizophrenia.
- It can also cause a range of mental health problems from short
lived and more common problems such as
anxiety and paranoid feelings, to less common difficulties with actual psychotic
states that may require medical treatment.
These problems may fade away over several days after stopping using
cannabis but occasionally may require a stay in hospital.
- Smoking cannabis when pregnant may harm the baby. Babies tend to
be lower in birth weight and to have
developmental problems.
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The Law
Cannabis is currently a Class B substance
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For
more information or if you would like to talk to someone
at the Advice Centre, please feel free to phone (01202
262291), email (info@quayadvice.co.uk)
or call in to the Quay Advice Centre (map)
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