Cannabis

If you use cannabis, or intend on using, below are some tips on how to reduce the harm, when using the drug.

1. Research. If you have never taken cannabis before, it is worth knowing what you may experience and what the risks are. Spend around 2 hours getting to know the facts before you use. There are a lot of myths out there about cannabis, and at the same time, lots of different versions of the drug. Check out some trusted sources such as CREW 2000 or why not chat to a trained support worker via our Live Webchat Service.
2. Avoid using alone. The main psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis is THC and from recent reports, the content of THC in cannabis is constantly increasing. Therefore the more THC there is in cannabis, the more psychoactive and hallucinogenic it can be. As a result, this can increase the risks someone may experience when under the influence. Ideally, you should be with a ‘sober’ friend if you intend to use any substance, so they can support you and seek medical assistance, if needed.
3. No tobacco. It’s advised to not mix cannabis with tobacco. Therefore you are only consuming the one drug and not two. There are additional health risks to consuming tobacco and it can also increase the risks of developing a dependency to nicotine. If you’d like help and support to stop smoking, visit ASH Wales.
4. Don’t share. Avoid sharing any forms of paraphernalia such as bongs, vapes, pipes and joints. Viruses can be transmitted by people sharing such equipment, such as hepatitis and coronavirus. If you are concerned, get in touch as we can provide free dry blood spot testing to test for antibodies of hepatitis or talk to your GP. Also avoid sharing drugs from the same packet or bag.
5. Only buy from trusted sources. Occasionally, substances can be contaminated with adulterants or diluents. Therefore you can never be too sure what’s in your substance. If it looks or smells different to what you are used to, avoid taking it. If possible, access a drug checking service who can test your sample and let you know what is in your drug, so you can make an informed decision about whether to use it or not.
6. Don’t hold the smoke. If you use cannabis, avoid taking in big ‘drags’ or holding in the smoke in your lungs, before exhaling. It is a myth that this will get you more ‘high’, rather it will do more damage to your lungs.
7. Baking cookies? People may decide to bake their cannabis in cookies (or other food stuff) as a way to consume the drug, without being exposed to the risks associated to smoking. Be aware that via this method, you need less of the drug to get the desired effects (compared to smoking) and the effects will take longer to come on (up to two hours later). Therefore, do not consume any more, if you intend to, until you have at least started to feel some of the effects from your original dose.
8. Joints/ spliffs. If you smoke cannabis via a joint/ spliff, don’t mix it with tobacco and don’t share with others. When using a roach (rolled cardboard), use a long unprinted card as this will have less toxins. If you use a filter, try a charcoal filter, as this filters out more toxins than roaches. When finished, ensure the joint has been extinguished, before leaving the room or going to bed. 
9. Bongs, pipes and rigs. If you intend to consume cannabis via a bong or pipe, use a glass or metal one, rather than plastic, as it will give off less toxins. Ensure you clean them regularly and if you use a water bong, change the water after every session. Rigs, similar to bongs, are used when consuming cannabis via ‘dabbing’. Again, clean your rigs regularly. Don’t share any paraphernalia and only use your own.
10. Vapourisers. Cannabis can be consumed by using a vapouriser. This is where the cannabis is heated rather than burnt. Therefore there is significantly less tar and toxins in the smoke and fewer chemicals released. Again, clean them regularly and only use your own.
11. Avoid mixing with other drugs. Using cannabis alongside other drugs can lead to unexpected and adverse effects. Your environment can also play a part in your experience when under the influence, so ensure you are in a safe place when consuming cannabis.
12. Cannabis and mental health. There has been a long association between the use of cannabis and poor mental health. While questions remain about cause and effect, it is generally advised that people who have previously, or currently experience mental health issues, avoid using high THC strength forms of cannabis. It could exacerbate current issues or it could play a role in triggering a mental health related issue. However, there is a lack of evidence to suggest cannabis causes schizophrenia.
13. Take a break. Thinking about using cannabis again? Make sure you take a break from one session to the next. This could be a few days or a few weeks, if not longer. You want to give your body the best chance to recover. Be aware, if you take an extended break from using cannabis, your tolerance could drop during that time, meaning you need less of the drug to experience similar effects.
14. Plan ahead. Before each session, it’s worth planning out your doses before you start. Once under the influence, your perception of future doses may not be accurate and therefore use more than you intended. It is also worth thinking about where you may be when using, ensuring you are in a safe environment, and if out and about, how you intend to get home safely.
15. CBD. Cannabidiol, or more commonly known as CBD, is legal in the U.K. Research has found it to have some medicinal and therapeutic benefits. However, it is an unregulated market, meaning that you can never be too sure what is in your sample, including THC and even synthetic cannabinoids, aka ‘Spice’, both of which are Class B substances. Limited research to date suggests that the doses in ‘high street’ CBD samples is potentially too low to have any medical benefit and may only provide a placebo effect.
16. Reach out if you are worried. Worried about your own, or a loved one’s cannabis use? get in touch with your local service. Here at Barod, we provide free, confidential support to anyone affected by substance use. You can chat to a trained support worker via our Live Webchat Service too.

For more harm reduction advice, why not check out Global Drugs Survey’s Highway Code. To gain an understanding of your own cannabis use and get personalised feedback, visit the Drugs Meter.

Cannabis use leads to ‘harder’ drugs. Cannabis is often referred to as a ‘gateway’ drug, insinuating that if you use cannabis, you will go on and use other drugs such as cocaine and heroin. However, there is no scientific research to back this claim up. While those who use substances like cocaine and heroin may also use cannabis, it is likely that other factors play a significant role as to why they use those drugs.

Cannabis is harmless. There are many risks to using any drug, including cannabis. While the potential harms experienced may not be as significant as what you may experience when using alcohol or heroin, as outlined by Nutt et al, 2010 study, there are still plenty of risks to using cannabis. The harms and their severity can also differ from one person to the next. Cannabis can exacerbate any existing or underlying health issues, including mental health, as well as affect your respiratory system, motivation and social aspects of your life, such as relationships.

You cannot become addicted or dependent upon cannabis. Simply put, you can become dependent upon cannabis. However, this occurs in the minority of users. Here at Barod, we tend to refrain from using terms such as addiction or dependency and use ‘Substance Use Disorder’. Typically, around 10% of cannabis users may display signs of having developed a substance use disorder. Other social and biological factors can play a significant role in potentially developing a substance use disorder to cannabis, as well as how much and how often you use the drug. For more information regarding the signs of a substance use disorder, click here.

Cannabis is legal. Cannabis is a Class B drug in the UK. This means it is illegal to possess as well as supply, or intend to supply. However, CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid within cannabis, is legal in the UK. This is why you may see such products sold in shops. Nevertheless, the CBD market in the UK is unregulated and therefore you can never be too sure what is in your sample, especially if you buy online, off unreputable sites. 

Holding in the smoke will give you a bigger hit and get you ‘higher’. This is not true. If you hold in the smoke or take bigger ‘drags’, this will result in more tar, toxins and nasty chemicals being absorbed. Around 95% of the THC in cannabis is absorbed within the few few seconds of inhaling.

The experience and harms someone may encounter when using cannabis, can differ from one person to another. It can also depend on how much cannabis is used, how frequently it is consumed and how it is taken. A person’s social situation can also affect the overall cannabis experience, whether that’s who they are with and where they are when they use, to general life situations such as any ongoing housing, relationship and financial issues.

When someone uses cannabis, they may feel chilled out, relaxed and get the ‘munchies‘. However, someone could also experience short-term memory loss, tiredness and feel sick. Cannabis use can also negatively affect your mental health, especially if you have previously experienced poor mental health or have an underlying issue.

If you continue to use cannabis heavily for a long time, this could increase the risk of developing a substance use disorder. In this instance, the person could experience withdrawal effects, if they were to reduce or stop their use. Such symptoms can include poor mental health, lack of appetite, restlessness, irritability, vivid dreams and getting the sweats/ chills, as well as experience cravings. Heavy, long term use could also result in feeling lethargic, increase the risk of developing respiratory illnesses (especially if you mix cannabis with tobacco), increased tolerance and having a lack of motivation and interest in other things.

If you are worried about your use, or feel it is getting out of control, then we would recommend reaching out for support. You can access free confidential advice and support via our own Live Webchat Service.

Here are our top 5 ways to help you reduce your cannabis use:

1. Reach out for support. Services like Barod provide free, confidential one-to-one support for anyone affected by substance use. We also facilitate mutual aid groups, such as SMART Recovery, where people can gain peer support, from people who may find themselves in a similar situation. While accessing services may not always be possible for some, we’d still recommend reaching out to someone you feel could help you achieve your goals.
2. Identify the positive effects of cannabis. This might seem strange, but it’s worthwhile thinking about what you get from using cannabis. If you can identify the main reasons behind your use, then you can start to think about and put in place, positive, non-drug related behaviour that could meet these needs.
3. Track your use. Using tools such as a drugs diary, can help you identify any potential patterns to your cannabis use. Without knowing it, you could use more at a certain time of day or week, or when you are with certain people. Therefore, this provides you with a starting point of where you can start to cut down. For example, if by tracking your use, you find yourself smoking more joints first thing than at any other point in the day, this would be a great place to start in terms of reducing how much cannabis you consume.
4. Identify and develop strategies for managing triggers. If you are successfully reducing your cannabis use, there may come a time when you come across a ‘trigger’, something that could lead you to consume cannabis at that time. A trigger could be anything from a specific situation, a person or place, or a feeling and emotion. Building effective coping mechanisms will provide you with the best possible chance of overcoming these triggers. However, if you do lapse or relapse, it is not the end of the world, and it happens to many people. You could use it as a learning experience moving forward.
5. Set SMART goals. When thinking about reducing or stopping your cannabis use, it is important to be realistic and not to think that if you don’t do it by tomorrow, you can never do it. Change in behaviour takes time and it’s not always easy. SMART goals can provide focus and help you take one step at a time, at a pace that suits you. SMART stands for: Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Time-bound. Below is a simple example:

Specific – To stop my cannabis use completely.

Measurable – I currently smoke ten joints per day and I will reduce my intake by one joint every week, until I get to zero.

Achievable – I have identified ‘John’ and ‘Liz’ who can help me and I will reach out to Barod for support.

Realistic – Yes, I have identified a support network and I hope to save some money and feel less lethargic.

Time-bound – I don’t want to put myself under to much pressure and stress and therefore will aim to stop smoking cannabis within the next six months.

You can also look to do a change plan, one of the many tools available via SMART Recovery.

Sometimes it is hard to know where to start when you are concerned about a loved one and their substance use, especially how to start and have a conversation with them about their use. Here are some tips we have put together which may make having that conservation a little easier.

Stay Calm – when talking to a loved one about their substance use it can often be a very emotive subject and they may become defensive and angry. Stay calm in order to reduce the conversation escalating into an argument. It is very difficult to argue with a calm person.

Time – choose a time that is good for both of you. If they are intoxicated or have had a bad day this may not be the best time to talk about their substance use. Choose a time when you are both calm and don’t have any distractions around so you can have a meaningful conversation.

Listen – it is important to allow your loved one to talk – that is the whole point of a conversation. Listen carefully to what they are saying and don’t interrupt.

Don’t be judgmental – your loved one probably knows that their substance use is having an impact on the people around them and often feel a great sense of guilt and shame. You may not agree with their actions but try not to judge or accuse them as they probably already feel judged by the people around them and may become defensive.

Ask open questions – ask questions where it is difficult to give one word answers. This can help a conversation flow and avoids an easy “yes” or “no” answer.

Positives – your loved one is probably very aware of all the negative things they may be doing. Try and let them know of the positives they are doing. Everyone likes to know when they are doing something good and it encourages us to keep doing that positive thing.

Knowledge – research information on drugs and alcohol. It may help you understand some of their behaviours and recognise when they are intoxicated and what support is available.

Get support – Barod offer support for loved ones who may be concerned or affected by someone else’s drug or alcohol use as well as support for loved ones who are using substances.

Sometimes a loved one may not be ready to have a conversation about their substance use. It is important to let them know you are there and ready to have that conversation. Don’t be disheartened if they don’t wish to talk about their substance use straight away, the fact you have approached the subject in a non judgmental and supportive way shows them you care.

We provide support to anyone affected by cannabis use, including those affected by a loved one’s use. Below is the list of areas we currently cover. Just click on the service for more information including their contact details. Alternatively, access our Live Webchat Service and speak to one of our trained support workers.

DDAS (Adults) and Choices West (Young People) – covering Dyfed including Llanelli, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Cardigan and Aberystwyth and everywhere in-between

Swansea (Adults) and Choices Swansea (Young People) – covering the City and County of Swansea

CTDAS (Adults) and Cwm Taf Young Persons – covering Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf including Pontypridd and Aberdare

GDAS (Adults) and Gwent N-Gage (Young Persons) – covering Gwent including Newport, Ebbw Vale, Monthmouth, Caerphilly and Torfaen.

You can also check out some of our top harm reduction tips for other drugs by clicking on each of the substances below:

General harm reduction tips

Alcohol

Benzodiazepines

Cocaine

Heroin

Ketamine

Magic Mushrooms

Nitrous Oxide