Cannabis Fact Sheet

Hashish or Hash is the commonest form of cannabis found in the UK. It is resin scraped or rubbed from the dried plant and then pressed into brown/black blocks.

In the UK cannabis is usually smoked rolled into a cigarette or joint, often with tobacco.

In 2000 Cannabis was the most widely used drug among 11-19 year olds. Of those aged 11-15 12% were using cannabis, this figure rose to 25% in the 16-19 age range.

Studies suggest that some Cannabis available today can be up to 500% more powerful than it was in the 1960's.

Due to Cannabis smokers trying to hold the smoke in their lungs for as long as possible before exhaling, Cannabis smoke can be up to 4 times as damaging to the lungs as normal tobacco smoke.

The active chemical in Cannabis can stay in the body for up to 14 days after the user has stopped smoking.

Cannabis can cause some users to become lazy, unmotivated & uninterested. These characteristics have been observed by experts and can be termed as 'Amotivation Syndrome'.

Cannabis was reclassified from a class B drug to a class C drug on 29th January 2004. Despite the reclassification cannabis can still be a highly damaging drug to those with an addictive personality.