For the most appropriate of the Specific interventions in this manual, see the collection of material under: Substance use disorder - treatment

Legal issues:

See Cannabis Legal issues

PsychoEducation about Cannabis

See the great Cannabis Effects video by MAC-UK - a short video from the MAC-UK organisation (their AMBIT manual is at @ambit-mac) made by and for young people.

Health concerns:

The most serious health concerns are:

• Increased risk of Psychosis, especially in young people who have pre-existing vulnerability, i.e:
• A past history of a psychotic episode
• "Prodromal" symptoms
• Suspiciousness
• Paranoia, misinterpretations, occasional hallucinations
• Withdrawal, other 'odd' behaviours or experiences.
• A family history of psychosis
• Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Depression
• Irritability, relating to paranoia, or poor Affect Regulation (when Cannabis is used as a means of avoiding the processing of emotions.)
• Dependency - for instance:
• Needing more cannabis to get the same effects
• Craving it when it is not available
• It becomes increasingly central in the young person's concerns/interests - other interests are dropped in its favour.
• Developmental and Educational failure
• Spending large proportions of ones youth intoxicated means there is less time or capacity to practice developing:
• Basic SocialSkills,
• Affect Regulation
• Scholastic skills and academic qualifications (which is itself linked to poorer long term health outcomes)
• Long term risks of Cancer
• From the Tobacco it is usually smoked with
• Direct from the oily cannabis resin
• Helath risks from ADDITIVES
• Cannabis is not uncommonly "cut" with other substances that add weight to it, or give it the appearance of being more resinous than it really is - one substance used for this is GROUND GLASS - which adds weight to the cannabis leaves, and gives them a faintly glittery appearance that can look like cannabis resin. When smoked the ground glass can be inhaled and lodge in the lung, with potential to cause inflammatory diseases rather similar to the ones that miners can develop (silicosis) or to be a focus for infection (pneumonia, etc).
• Addiction to OTHER drugs
• There is some evidence to suggest that Cannabis can act as a "gateway drug" - introducing the user to dealers and users who will in turn introduce them to harder drugs.
• Alcohol and Nicotine are at least as potent as "gateway drugs" in this respect, BUT there is a risk that cannabis may be "cut" with other drugs (ampthetamines, crack cocaine, mephedrone, etc) as "loss-leaders" - so that the user comes back for more and learns about the magic "ingredient X".

What to do?

See Substance use disorder - treatment