Risks Of Using Cannabis

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Cannabis can mess with your mind

  • Cannabis can freak you out - it can cause feelings of anxiety, suspicion, panic and paranoia.
  • For people with illnesses such as schizophrenia, cannabis can cause a serious relapse.
  • Regular cannabis use is known to be associated with an increase in the risk of later developing psychotic illnesses including schizophrenia; and if you have a family background of mental illness, you may also have an increased risk.
  • Cannabis can affect the way the brain works. Regular, heavy use makes it difficult to learn and concentrate and research has linked cannabis use to poor exam results. This is a potentially serious risk if you’re young, when the brain is still developing. People who take a lot of cannabis can also find they lack motivation.


Cannabis can mess with your body.

  • Smoking cannabis can make asthma worse, and cause wheezing in non-asthma sufferers.
  • It can increase the heart rate and affect blood pressure, which can be especially harmful for those with heart disease.
  • It is reported that frequent use of cannabis may affect fertility. It can cut a man's sperm count and can suppress ovulation in women.
  • If you’re pregnant, smoking cannabis may increase the risk of your baby being born smaller than expected.


What is the effect of mixing cannabis and alcohol?

Mixing cannabis with alcohol can have particularly serious consequences - the accident rate is 16 times higher than for cannabis or alcohol alone.


What is cannabis cut with?

Cannabis may be ‘cut’ with other substances to increase the weight and the dealer’s profits.

  • Impurities in cannabis may include a variety of substances, with laboratory-confirmed reports of glass and pesticides being found in herbal forms of cannabis; and with hash/resin frequently being mixed with a range of substances to increase weight and the dealer’s profits. In April 2010, a study, looking into contaminants in drugs reported that there were cases of cannabis being adulterated with henna, lead and aluminium.
  • Any impurities you smoke could be inhaled in to the lungs alongside the wide range of chemicals naturally found in cannabis.
  • Like tobacco, cannabis has lots of chemical 'nasties'. So if you smoke it, cannabis could cause lung disease and possibly cancer too, especially when smoked with tobacco.


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The Have I Got A Problem website is a free online resource to help people better understand any issues or concerns they may have about mental health or addiction. The website includes resources specifically focused to; general Mental Health, Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Insecurities, Self-harm Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Anger Management, Eating Disorders, Coping, general Addiction, Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana (Cannabis) Ecstasy, PCP, Mephedrone, Ketamine & Crystal Meth.

The site was created to give the public information to help them understand mental health and addiction issues and to assist people in making better informed decisions about their life and personal choices.

www.haveigotaproblem.com was created and is run by 'Advising Communities’, which is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1061055)

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