-intoxication (similar to alcohol use);

-lifting of mood;

-less inhibited;

-relaxed and drowsy;

-spontaneous laughter;

-heightening of the senses - sense of touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell (in excessive doses only).

Young people who use cannabis may show the following behaviour:

-loss of drive and energy (frequent use);

-frequent use of incense sticks;

-frequent use of eye drops to clear reddened eyes; carrying roll-your-own cigarette papers;

-use of alcohol;

-forgetting what they are talking about (frequent use or during cannabis intoxication); --

-talkativeness or extremely subdued (during intoxication);

-anxious and feeling "got at" - persecuted (frequent use);

-having big ideas - grandiosed (frequent use).

-not eating a balanced diet;

-the munchies - ravenous hunger (frequent use);

-poor memory, especially short term memory (frequent use or during cannabis intoxication); -

-dry tongue;

-variation in the size of the pupils of the eyes (during intoxication);

-blackouts - periods when they cannot remember a part of the day (frequent use);

-heavy sweating (frequent use);

-spider naevi - see Alcohol Facts (heavy use).

Note: Infrequent users generally receive effects that are so subtle that they are not easily noticeable.

Cannabis sativa is New Zealand's most used illegal drug. It is popular and available to all age groups illegally. Of young people in the 15-17 year-old age group, 29.6% of males and 24.8% of females reported having tried marijuana (a type of cannabis) and 25.2% of males and 16.8% of females continued to use it (Health Department statistics).

Cannabis use in the form of marijuana is much more common for young people than the use of cannabis resin or cannabis oil.

THC (tetrahydrocannibinol) is the ingredient in all cannabis products, in greater or lesser amounts, which causes mood and mind alterations. Cannabis products are commonly smoked in cigarette form joints) but can be used in cooking and inhaled from an oil (hashish oil).

Cannabis binds to fat cells in the body and can be active in the human body for up to six weeks. Regular recreational use of the drug leads to a build-up of the substance in fatty tissues in the body.

Regular cannabis use conclusively affects concentration, short-term memory, recall of facts, drive and energy and the ability to think clearly. When a regular user stops taking cannabis, not all short-term memory loss returns to normal. Subtle residual effects are left although these are barely noticeable.

The long-term physical effects of the drug are not yet known. Since cannabis carries more cancer producing agents than tobacco, however, it is predicted that irreparable damage to the lungs may occur. However, studies to date tend to reject this prediction, indicating that the body adapts and the likelihood of cancer is small.

Research suggests that cannabis has marked effects on the reproductive system, particularly the male, interfering with testosterone production in regular users.

In high doses this drug is considered hallucinogenic, but really these are false hallucinations - people imagine that they are seeing things but do not tend to act out their fantasies.

Australian research suggests that infrequent users, using a minimal dose, receive no, or non-substantial, side effects. However it is suspected that youth will have impaired concentration, judgement and perception at a minimal level for a few days after use. This may, or may not, interfere with schooling.

Passive consumption of cannabis is becoming mildly controversial. It is known that people do receive the drug passively, but do not get intoxicated as they receive a smaller amount than the original user.

For more information, please feel free to email Senior Constable Ian Browne