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    Cannabis

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    What is cannabis?

    Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug in Australia. It is made from the dried flowering heads and leaves of a plant called cannabis sativa.

    Download the cannabis fact sheet ​and watch the Respect Your Brain videos for more information.

    Learn more
    Cannabis
    Cannabis

    THC

    (C21H30O2)

     Cannabis looks like dried herbal material and can be green or brown in colour. It is usually smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints or in water pipes called bongs. Sometimes it is mixed into food, such as cakes and cookies, and eaten.

    Physical effects can include

    • feel unusually well and happy
    • talk and laugh more than usual
    • have bad balance and coordination
    • feel like your senses are heightened

    Effects depend on...

    The effects of cannabis will depend on how much you take, how often you take it, how strong the cannabis is, how the cannabis is taken (joint, bong, food), your mood, your experience with cannabis and whether cannabis is taken with other drugs, such as alcohol, which can increase the effects of both drugs.

    • feel drowsy
    • feel hungry
    • have dry, red eyes
    • decreased sex drive
    • vomit
    • be restless
    • do or say things which you normally wouldn't
    See full list

    How cannabis affects your body

    Tap a body part to learn more of the effects cannabis places on your body.

    Psychological effects can include

    • experience change in your perception of time, sound, sight, touch and distance
    • see or hear things which are not there (hallucination)
    • feel anxious or panicky
    • depression
    • feel confused
    • feel distant or separate from reality
    • dependence (get addicted to cannabis)
    • find it hard to concentrate
    • have problems remembering things
    • decreased motivation
    • experience anxiety and paranoia
    • psychosis
    See full list

    General information

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    Is cannabis a problem for you?

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    Your Room > A-Z of Drugs > Cannabis
    Alcohol and Drug Information Service NSW Government Health

    A joint initiative by NSW Health and St Vincent's Alcohol and Drug Information Service.

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