FAQ's Page
| Is cannabis a safe drug? |
| Most people seem to think cannabis is a completely safe drug, but it isn't. Many of its long term effects are related to its most popular route of use, namely smoking. These include bronchitis and lung cancer (due to the tar content of cannabis). However, since the majority of cannabis users are tobacco smokers anyway any long term smoking effects cannot be solely attributed to cannabis use alone. The long term effects of cannabis on the brain have not been well researched but it is known that it can trigger short term psychotic episodes, such as paranoia, which can be frightening. |
| How do you minimise the dangers of Ecstasy use? |
| The majority of problems associated with Ecstasy use have involved people collapsing due to symptoms of dehydration and heat stroke. Coupled with the hot and humid atmosphere of most clubs and the energetic dancing, Ecstasy increases body temperature and causes sweating. All these factors combine to over-heat the body and dehydrate it to dangerous levels. Drinking plenty of fluids is one way to re-hydrate, however, do not drink alcohol because this has the opposite effect and causes dehydration. Usually a pint of liquid over the course of an hour is sufficient. Drinking too much water in this state is not good either. Additionally eating salty snacks will make up for the minerals lost in sweat. |
| What has non-injecting drug use got to do with getting AIDS/HIV? |
| The dangers of intravenous drug use and HIV/AIDS/Hepatitis are quite apparent (see page on HIV services). However, use of any drug can affect a persons judgements and inhibitions so that they engage in unprotected sex, either because their intoxicated state leads them to believe there is little danger involved or they don't care. Because drug users generally mix with other drug users this risk of coming into contact with an intravenous user or HIV carrier is quite high. |
| Alcohol is legal, does that mean its completely safe? |
| No. Alcohol and tobacco, the two most commonly used and legal drugs, are responsible for more deaths and health problems than all other causes. Alcohol causes harm via long term effects of continued use such as varying degrees of brain damage, oesophageal cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure with the risk of stroke, breast cancer, liver damage, gastritis, pancreatitis, impotence, etc. The short term effects of alcohol drinking can lead to accidents and violence which are also major concerns. |
| Does drinking lots of black coffee help to sober up someone who is drunk? |
| No. The liver metabolises (breaks down) alcohol at a constant rate and cannot be speeded up by any other substance such as tea, coffee, speed, cold showers, etc. The alcohol may still be being broken down the next morning even after 'sleeping it off' so as to make driving or using machinery dangerous. |
| Is it an offence to sniff glue? |
| No, sniffing glues or solvents is not illegal, but it is illegal for a shop keeper to knowingly sell solvents to young people to sniff. |
| If I use cannabis does this mean I will progress to using 'harder' drugs? |
| There is no evidence that a person using so called soft drugs such as cannabis will move on to use harder drugs like opiates. Most uses of cannabis will remain as such throughout their drug taking career. If you use the logic that a lot of hard drug users have used cannabis in the past then you must also know that the vast majority of cannabis smokers also smoked/smoke tobacco. Does this mean all tobacco smokers will progress to cannabis? |
| Will I become addicted if I try drugs, just once? |
| It is very unlikely that a person will become an addict the first time they try a drug. Most addiction is formed by continual and repeated use of drugs rather than a occasional foray into the drugs world. Similarly tolerance to some drugs is developed with repeated use. This leads to the need for larger amounts to receive the same effect. With some drugs tolerance drops when you stop using for a while so it easy to overdose at previously 'tolerated' levels of the drug once use is resumed. |
| Does smoking a drug rather than injecting it mean it is less likely to lead to dependence? |
| No. A person who uses drugs can become addicted via any route of use. The only difference between the routes is a varying risk to health due to pharmacokinetics of the drug, i.e. how its introduction to the body is regulated. Swallowing is the least dangerous way of using low doses, but once swallowed it is hard to regulate the dose. Smoking can filter out some of the chemicals and is easily controlled by the user but has its own harmful effects on the respiratory system. Snorting drugs is controllable but causes a lot of damage to the delicate membranes of the nose. Injecting is the least safest way to use a drug. Apart from the effects of unsterilised needles and incorrect injecting technique, it introduces a lot of drug to the system all at once and can be overwhelming leading to overdose. |
| Can you overdose on acid/pot? |
| No, overdosing on cannabis would require smoking or eating several kilograms within a short period of time. Similarly it is difficult to overdose on LSD especially if you have had a few days of continually use. |
| Does MDMA cause brain damage/Parkinson's disease/deplete spinal fluid? |
| Tests on lab animals have shown it to be neurotoxic at high doses but damage to human brains has not been demonstrated. MDMA does not cause Parkinson's disease that is linked to a similar sounding chemical called MPTP that is a contaminant of badly manufactured opiates. MPTP has no chemical similarity to MDMA. Finally, MDMA does not deplete spinal fluid. |
| Is cannabis stored in the body? |
| When cannabis is used, the active ingredients that produce its pleasurable effects are broken down by the body into inert chemicals (called metabolites). It is these metabolites that are 'fat-soluble' and are dissolved into the body's fat cells. Over time these metabolites are released from the fat cells so that they can be further metabolised and excreted. This process can take a month or longer before all the metabolites are excreted and hence all traces of cannabis use are removed. It is for this reason that a person can be tested positive for cannabis even if they used it a month ago. The continual release of these metabolites from the fat cells does not mean a permanent high because these molecules are inert so do not have the desired effects of the original parent molecule. |
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Last updated January 2001
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