Cannabis:
What is Cannabis?
The most widely used illegal drug in Britain.
A mild hallucinogenic, derived from the plant Cannabis sativa see illustration, containing psychoactive compounds called tetrahydrocannabinols (THCs)Also called: marijuana, grass, draw, blow, weed, puff, shit, spliff, wacky baccy, sensimilla, sensi, Moroccan, bhang, soap, black, blunts, smoke, pot, Northern Lights, hemp, ganja, spliff, hash, hashish, herb, resin, Bob Hope, bush, zero, skunk.
Usually supplied as dried crushed leaf, in resin or as oil. It is usually smoked in a cigarette with tobacco in a 'spliff'/'joint' or on its own. Can also be brewed or eaten.
Resin may also be smoked using the hot knives method: see diagram
- Artificially cultivated varieties, such as 'skunk', contain more THCs
- Skunk derivatives are genetically modified to be stronger. These ‘skunk’ varieties are now more commonly used than traditional marijuana/resin. The varieties are often referred to as street names such as: super skunk, hydro skunk, orange bud, purple haze, blue berries, white widow, white skunk, white haze, double gum, hollands hope, master kush, nevilles haze, oke 47, sensi star.
The law
- Class C drug
- Penalties for possession: maximum two years in prison and/or fine
- Penalties for possession with intent to supply: maximum 14 years in prison and/or fine.
History
Queen Victoria used it ? > - Use goes back at least 3,500 years
- Concern about use by young people grew in the USA in the 1950s
- Resin is usually brought into the UK from Morocco, Pakistan, the Lebanon and Afghanistan. Dried-leaf cannabis comes mostly from South-East Asia, and West and Southern Africa
- In recent years, much cannabis has been grown hydroponically in the UK, ie in gravel through which water containing nutrient salts is pumped
Effects
- When cannabis is smoked, the effects last one-three hours, depending on the dose. Effects can be slower, longer and less controllable if the drug is swallowed
- Users feel relaxed, talkative and sleepy, and have craving for food ('the munchies')
- Stronger hybrid varieties (skunk) often have very different effects especially for first time users, Nausea, and a feeling of swaying or rocking motion. Complection often turns pale, this is usually known as ’throwing a whitey’
Purity
- Impure cannabis is contaminated with many different substances
- impure cannabis is called 'soap bar'.
- Stock cubes, mud and garden herbs have all been sold as cannabis
- More recently batches of skunk have been found contaminated with (ground glass) or glass-like beads
Risks
- There is growing proof that skunk causes mental illness and psychosis
- Apathy, low energy, paranoia, anxiety, worsening existing or latent psychiatric disorders
- Use with tobacco is very likely to lead to nicotine addiction
- Short-term memory loss and lack of concentration, impairment of intellectual ability and manual dexterity
- Two-four times increased risk of accident if driving. Even greater risk if mixed with alcohol
- Long term use can lead to lung cancer
- Use during pregnancy probably impairs foetal development, leading to lower birth weight.
Dependence and treatment
- Cannabis does not lead to physical dependence in the way that, for example, heroin does. However users may become psychologically dependant
- There is no generally accepted treatment other than counselling
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