Education

 

                                                           What is Cannabis

 

The drug Cannabis comes from cannabis sativa a bushy plant grown in many parts of the world. It can take three different forms;

Cannabis Herb consists of the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant. It is also known as Marijuana, Grass, Dope, Pot and Weed.

Cannabis Resin also known as Hash, Hashish, Leb Gold, Paki Black and blow can be yellowy green-brown or black in colour, It is squeezed or scraped from the plant and compressed into blocks. Cannabis Oil, or Hash Oil, Liquid Hash is the strongest type of cannabis drug and is obtained by extracting liqiid from the plant and then distilling the extract to concentrate the chemical strength.

 

 

                                          What is Cannabis? What are its effects?

 

Cannabis contains over 400 different chemicals the most important chemical in cannabis is THC (short for Tetrahydrocannabinol). The amounts of THC in cannabis vary with the type of drug , how it is used ad where it comes from

The most common effects of cannabis are relaxation, talkativeness, giddiness, euphoria and an altered perception of music and colour.

There can be different levels and experiences of ‘getting high’, depending on the amount and type of chemicals in the drug used, and some novice users may feel sick.

In larger amounts (or with stronger than usual forms of the drug) users may feel depressed, suffer panic and anxiety attacks, hallucinate and suffer from paranoia.

 

 

                                                            How is  it used?

Cannabis is usually smoked in joints (home rolled cigarettes) or pipes, but it can also be eaten in cakes and biscuits.

 

 

Did you know that?

 

 

THC and other chemicals in cannabis remain in the brain and reproductive organs flor two to three weeks after a single joint, and can be detected in urine for up to 30 days.

Cannabis slows down the brain’s ability to think and remember things.  Its use impairs the ability to ride a bicycle, drive a car and operate machinery which may increase the risk of accident.

Long term cannabis use can trigger mental illness such as schizophrenia an depression, or make attacks of mental worse.

Prolonged cannabis use can cause psychological dependence for some people an therefore make it difficult to control the use of the drug or to give it up.

This could lead to dropping out of study and work, difficulty in concentrating and failing exams.

There is nothing in cannabis itself which causes people to try other illegal drugs, yet people who smoke cannabis are more likely to experiment with other illegal drugs.

The smoke from cannabis has more cancer-causing chemicals than the highest tar tobacco, which increases risk of lung and throat cancer.

The chemicals from cannabis can damage the development of the foetus in the womb.