Cannabis: The effects

The Boring Bit

Cannabis can be fun and very enjoyable, but as with any form of drug taking it's important to keep it in its place.

As these things go cannabis is pretty safe for most people, but nothing on earth is totally safe and cannabis is no exception.

Some people use cannabis to aid creativity and to solve all sorts of mental challenges, but it won't automatically do this.You can also use it to waste hours and hours watching junk TV. If you decide to get stoned, use it, don't let it use you.

Always treat cannabis with respect and never abuse it. If you do get a bad reaction from getting stoned, don't keep using it in the hope these bad feelings will pass.

According to Dr El Guindy, Egyptian delegate at the second International Opium Conference in 1924: "Hashish absorbed in large quantities produces a furious delirium and...predisposes to acts of violence and produces a characteristic strident laugh...[with habitual use] the countenance of the addict becomes gloomy, his eye is wild,and the expression of his face is stupid...his intellectual faculties gradually weaken and the whole organism decays. The addict very frequently becomes neurasthenic and eventually insane." It's not true, don't worry. The risks of using cannabis are outlined in our risks  section. Is cannabis a gateway drug? We examine the claims here

Getting Stoned - the good bits

So just what does cannabis do? How does it make you feel? That sounds like an easy question, in truth it's anything but.

This first thing to know is that cannabis comes in many different varieties, which all have different versions of the same effect, versions which can be almost poles apart in some respects.

Utterly different versions of the same thing; you see how difficult this is going to be to explain.

Unlike almost every other recreational substance, cannabis is not a single active chemical (drug), what it does is down to the combined effect of several drugs. Different strains of the plant have different ratios of these drugs and its because of this that some types of cannabis are laid back and dreamy, others are edgy and very "uppy".

Cannabis is classed as a mild psychedelic, a mild version of the type of drugs that include LSD. This is possibly misleading as it's nothing like LSD, cannabis doesn't produce full on hallucinations, although it can alter your perception of the world around you. You may notice things you never noticed before, find deep complex patterns in things - especially music - and you may misunderstand things. All of this can open your mind to new ways of looking at life.

To try and describe what it is like to feel stoned to someone that hasn't been there is very difficult, in a way it's a bit like getting drunk in that it's an intoxication, but that's as far as it goes, cannabis is nothing like being booze in the effects it has.

Alcohol can change the personality of the drinker and make him or her unaware of who and where they are, Cannabis users are very much still "there" and aware of the world around them although, as we say, that perception may be changed.

Unlike alcohol, you are always "in control" with cannabis unless you get really hammered and fall asleep, but that said the world can feel distant and conversation can become difficult. Movement can be difficult and reaction times are slowed. Other people might think you are being vague and not paying attention, you might talk a lot or you might go very quiet. You might find strange things funny, or you might find you're suddenly very concerned about what others think of you. Sometimes all of this at once!

Also unlike alcohol what cannabis actually does depends to a large extent on where you take it and who you take it with because you are very aware of what's going on around you, sort of.

What follows is a summary of some of the things you can expect to happen if you get stoned. Of course, everyone is different and as we've explained, different types of cannabis produce different overall effects.

The big thing to take away from this is that the cannabis experience is not really comparable to any other drug experience, which explains why some people argue that cannabis isn't a drug.

Keener perception:

An increased appreciation of music or images. This is what people mostly use cannabis in a creative way for. Music in particular can sound very much more intense and elements of the music stand out.

The governments anti drug site "Talk to Frank" belittles all this by saying "users can find hidden depths in daytime television/ the most unlikely song lyrics ". This is probably true for some people but it can be so much more.

A remoteness:

People talk, but you miss what they say, things seem "distant".

The munchies:

A feeling of hunger. Be careful of this one, it can lead to midnight raids of the 'fridge! It's also one of the therapeutic effects of cannabis, particularly for cancer sufferers undergoing chemotherapy. This is one of the effects overplayed in Talk to Frank's information however, it's not that overpowering.

Thirst:

Coupled with a dry mouth and throat; it's a good idea to have some fruit juice around, but not alcohol for best effect.

A feeling of increased empathy:

Peacefulness and relaxation, a oneness with nature and so on.

A definite feeling of slowed time:

Minutes can pass in a matter of hours, if you see what I mean.

Trancing:

Getting stoned whilst dancing is an aspect of cannabis use which has been understood for a long time

Finding God

Many people use cannabis as a route to understanding, communicating with or being at one with God. The is at the heart of Rastafarianism for example.