Using Cannabis
Smoking CannabisBack in 2002 the British Lung foundation (BLF) published a report called "A smoking gun" which made serious claims about the health risks of smoking cannabis. Later research has failed to support many of the more extreme claims made by the BLF, but unlike the enthusiasm shown for reporting the "Smoking Gun's" claims, the later research was all but ignored in the British media. However, UKCIA would welcome a factual information campaign about the possible dangers of using cannabis and we highlight some of the points made in the report in our "Risks" section, especially the added risk posed by the use of tobacco. UKCIA doesn't claim that cannabis is harmless, but because of prohibition scare after scare claiming serious dangers have been made, most if not all of which have been shown to be false. It's been like shouting "wolf", many people simply don't believe government warnings anymore. It's also worth pointing out that real world studies don't back the alarmist claims Also because of prohibition safer ways of smoking, such as pipes or vapes are themselves dangerous things to have because of the risk of arrest. Their use is hardly encouraged in government "educational" material such as Talk to Frank.. UKCIA is running a campaign called Toke pure to encourage safer ways to use cannabis. OK, so before we go any further let's be clear; smoking anything isn't good for you. Smoke contains a lot of chemicals, tars and oils. As a general rule of thumb, the less smoke you inhale the better. Smoking does have one big advantage over the other method of using cannabis - eating it. Because the effect of cannabis is felt quickly when smoked, it's far easier to gauge how much you're using which means it's easier to stop when you've had enough. That said, it's not an instant hit as the government's "Talk to Frank site claims. Cannabis has traditionally (in the UK) been smoked in a tobacco mixture, it's strongly advised that you do not mix cannabis with this dangerous and addictive drug. It is still the most popular way of using cannabis however. How to smoke CannabisTobacco methods Tobacco free methods Vapourisers Toke Pure Tobacco methods - Joints, ChillumsJoints are cannabis cigarettes. Perhaps still the most common way cannabis is used in the UK despite the serious effects of tobacco on health. Smoking joints when young has often lead to a tobacco habit amongst cannabis users. A joint is essentially a cigarette rolled with a tobacco cannabis mixture. Joints are bigger than cigarettes though and have a rolled up bit of cardboard at the mouth end called a roach or sometimes (wrongly) a "filter". Joints (or spliffs) are a sociable way of sharing cannabis, there's no doubt about that and much of the UK cannabis culture has evovled around the sharing of joints. Joint rolling became an important part of the ritual of getting stoned, but it's a ritual worth breaking. Tobacco smokers claim the tobacco "dilutes" the cannabis, making it easier to spin a stash out over time but that isn't true as tobacco is highly addictive. Smoking cannabis mixed with it often leads to severe tobacco addiction and cannabis users who smoke this way often roll a joint to satisfy the tobacco craving, rather than to get stoned. This leads to them smoking much more cannabis than they would otherwise. Tokers who give up tobacco usually find they use far less cannabis as a result. Chillums are basically a clay or stone tube which is filled with a tobacco cannabis mixture, very popular in India. These have to be the worst method of smoking health wise as huge amounts of hot smoke are taken straight into the lungs. Smoking with tobacco is not recommended. Tokepure |
Other safer smoking tipsBe warned that some substances give off toxic fumes when hot - try not to use plastic bottles, aluminium containers, and be wary of cardboard/paper that has been printed on for instance. Do not inhale huge quantities of smoke and try and keep it down in your lungs for as long as possible. You won't get much more stoned, but you will help coat your lungs in tar and other unpleasant materials One way to smoke a joint without using tobacco is to use another combustible but non toxic substance mixed with the cannabis. Mike from Glasgow uses dried parsley (The type that can be bought in supermarkets in a small jar e.g. Schwartz brand). It started some years ago when he gave up smoking (tobacco) and someone recommended dried parsley as a substitute. He's not smoked a single tobacco cigarette since unlike previous occasions when he"gave up" tobacco but drifted back to it because he was still using it to make a joint. The 'parsley' method works equally well with hash or grass he says. Commercial non-tobacco smoking mixtures are available. But although these "herbal mixes" do avoid the use of tobacco, they still involve breathing in large amounts of smoke, so are probably just as unhealthy as tobacco, just not addictive. |
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