Cannabis can be smoked, usually with tobacco, eaten, drunk in a ‘tea’ or snorted as a snuff. The drug affects the central nervous system, and as a result, users may experience relief from pain, feel light-headed, relaxed, or sleepy. The drug can also stimulate appetite; the so-called ‘munchies’. However, cannabis is also known to impair co-ordination, can cause nausea and vomiting, as well as emotional and mental health problems such as anxiety and paranoia, which in long-term use may become chronic.

Cannabis is a depressant, meaning that it slows down the messages between the brain and the body. The high from smoking cannabis normally takes effect within minutes and can affect a person for about two to four hours.