NIMBIN HEALTH &
MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
(NHMRC)
SAFER CANNABIS USE
GUIDELINES
The responsible consumption of
cannabis
is mainly a health issue. People make their own
choices. It's
not the purpose of these guidelines to tell people how
to behave,
but to ensure they have solid evidence available so
they can
make educated and informed decisions. These new
guidelines will
help people to make those decisions.
The form of cannabis use with
the lowest
health, social, legal and economic risk is abstinence.
Even
so, more than 2 million Australians choose to use
cannabis every
year, and accept some degree of risk. Australians can
reduce
their health, social, legal and economic risks by
following
these guidelines.
1. Moderation. It is
recommended
that social cannabis users only consume cannabis for
five days
a week or less, trying to keep at least two days each
week cannabis
free. (This is not applicable for people using
cannabis as a
medication, e.g. relieving nausea from cancer
chemotherapy)
The effect from eating cookies lasts much longer.
Users may
only require one biscuit per day. Smokers should not
require
more than 4 joints per day.
2. Recognising harms that may
arise.
Cannabis is illegal. Possession or use can lead to
arrest and
a criminal record, loss of job or even worse. Be
discrete. Don’t
carry more than the ‘caution’ amount (NSW 15 grams).
If cannabis is seriously affecting your life in
important areas
such as relationships, parenting, job or finances,
then seriously
consider reducing or stopping.
3. Young People.
Encourage young
people who are likely to experiment to delay consuming
cannabis
until their body and mind have matured as any drug use
can affect
physical and/or cognitive development. Impress on
young people
the need for moderation and responsibility. Avoid
smoking in
the presence of children. Do not smoke in confined
areas with
children or non-smokers present. "Passive smoking"
is not confined to nicotine. Be aware that as an adult
you are
always a role model.
4. Potency and Contaminants.
The strength of different cannabis strains may vary
widely.
If you are going to use a new batch of cannabis, only
try a
small amount first. When purchasing any form of
cannabis there
is no certainty regarding fertiliser, fungicide, or
insecticide
use, how it is grown, or what affect that might have
on health
outcomes. Under prohibition without standards or
quality control
or regulation, the only way to be certain how a
cannabis plant
is grown is to watch it grow.
5. Pregnancy. Women who
are pregnant,
breast feeding or might soon become pregnant should
refrain
from using cannabis. If they still choose to use
cannabis, they
should minimise their quantity and frequency of use.
6. Driving. Do not
drive a car
or operate heavy machinery if impaired by cannabis. To
make
sure you are safe, allow at least a few hours before
your last
use of cannabis and driving. If you have used alcohol
and cannabis,
allow twice as long.
7. Mental Health. If
you have
ever had a serious mental illness, or you have a
family history
of serious mental illness, it might be better to avoid
cannabis
and all other mood altering drugs. If you still want
to use
cannabis, use as little as you can. Always have
someone with
you when you smoke to make sure you keep to your
limits.
8. Tobacco. It is
better for
your health not to mix tobacco with cannabis. Nicotine
is addictive.
Smoking with tobacco will often lead to you using more
cannabis
by virtue of the nicotine addiction.
9. Smoke harms lungs.
Consuming
cannabis by inhaling the vapour from a vaporiser or
eating foods
made with cannabis are both less damaging to lungs
than inhaling
cannabis smoke, but the results of eating cannabis are
less
predictable. Cookies can be stronger and last longer
than smoking.
10. Smoking Implements.
Avoid
using plastic bottles, rubber hoses, PVC, aluminium or
foil
to smoke cannabis - these all give off toxic fumes
when hot
(you run fewer health risks with a pipe made from
glass, steel
or brass.)
11. Sharing. When you
share joints,
pipes or bongs you can also share germs and
infections. Individual
joints, pipes or bongs are preferable. Clean bongs or
pipes
after use.
12. The environment.
Make sure
that you discard any smoking implements, waste, or
roaches carefully
and responsibly. Don't start a fire through
carelessness. Left
over organic waste should go into compost.
Reference: Chapter
11,
"Cannabis: a harm reduction perspective" by Andrew
Bennett, in the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs
and Drug
Addiction (EMCDDA) publication: "A cannabis reader:
global
issues and local experiences", available in pdf form
at
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/monographs/cannabis
These guidelines will be revised as better
medical evidence
comes to hand.
July 2008: NHMRC (Nimbin Health
and Medical
Research Council)
