information leaflet

Cannabis (hash and weed)

Why this leaflet? You can also watch
This leaflet gives you information about cannabis. It tells this video →
you how cannabis can affect your health and your mood.
And there are tips to help you make the right choices. Click on the picture or go to:
government.nl/cannabis-leaflet

1 What negative effects can cannabis have? 2 Some people should take extra care with cannabis.
Don’t use cannabis if you...
Here is a list of negative effects that people could have when they
use cannabis. It might not happen to you. The effects of cannabis • ...want to become pregnant, are pregnant or
are different for everyone. are breastfeeding. Cannabis is harmful for your
unborn child or baby.

• You can start feeling strange, in a way you didn’t • ...are young. Your brain keeps developing until
expect. Or you could experience a distorted reality you are 25. You have a higher risk of becoming
that is unpleasant. This is called a bad trip. It can be addicted. And of getting psychosis.
very disturbing. You might feel panicky, gloomy or
anxious. You might be nauseous. These feelings • ...have experienced psychosis before or you have
usually pass. schizophrenia. Don’t use cannabis if there are
people in your family with schizophrenia or a
• Your reaction time can be slower, which increases history of psychosis. Using cannabis could trigger
the risk of having an accident. You can have more these symptoms in you.
difficulty concentrating and problems with your
memory. • ...have depression or anxiety. Using cannabis
could make you feel worse.
• You can become passive or sluggish. You are less
active and less interested in things. • ...are driving. Operating a vehicle is dangerous
because cannabis makes you react more slowly.
• Smoking cannabis is bad for your heart and your One of the active ingredients in cannabis is THC.
lungs. You get mucus in your lungs, which can make You could still have too much THC in your blood
you cough. Your heart could beat faster or less even if you don’t feel the effects anymore.
regularly. You could faint. There is a small risk Driving when you exceed the legal limit for THC
that you could have a heart attack or a stroke. in your blood is a criminal offence.

• You can become addicted to cannabis. This means • ...are going to work or to school. Cannabis makes
you can no longer control your cannabis use. And it it harder to focus and remember things, and
negatively affects your life. makes you react more slowly. This increases your
risk of having an accident.
• You could have psychosis. This means you hear, see
or think things that others don’t hear, see or think.
This could make you feel anxious or confused.
 3 The three most common ways of using cannabis:

Method How does it work? How long until How long do Good to know
you start feeling the effects last?*
the effects?

Smoking You can smoke (‘puff’) cannabis by rolling A few seconds / At least 3 – 6 hours Smoking cannabis is harmful for your
it into a joint, either with tobacco or minutes health. Adding tobacco to the joint makes it
without. Smoking cannabis with tobacco even more harmful. If you smoke cannabis
produces different effects than smoking (weed) without tobacco, don’t pack in an
it on its own. extra large amount of weed.

Vaporising You can use a vaporiser to heat A few seconds / At least 3 – 6 hours Inhaling cannabis on its own avoids
the cannabis, so that you can inhale minutes exposure to harmful substances from
the vapour. A vaporiser doesn’t burn smoking it with tobacco. But inhaling
the cannabis and you don’t use it with cannabis with a vaporiser can be harmful
tobacco. A vaporiser isn’t the same as a too. Ask your cannabis café for advice.
vape pen, shisha pen or e-cigarette.
These are filled with a liquid that often
contains nicotine.

Eating You can eat cannabis with food. From 30 – 90 At least 4 – 12 hours The effects can be more intense than you
For example, you can add it as an minutes expect. It can also take longer before you
ingredient when baking a cake start feeling them. Don’t take more
(‘space cake’). Another name for cannabis if you don’t feel high yet. You
food containing cannabis is ‘edibles’. might end up taking too much. This can
make you feel sick.

*It isn’t possible to say exactly how long the effects will last. This is different for everyone.

4 Tips to reduce the risk of negative effects 6 The law and the experiment with a controlled cannabis
supply chain
• The lower the THC content, the smaller your chance of
experiencing negative effects. Choose a product with a Cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands but possession of up to 5
low THC content. You can find the THC content on the label. grams of cannabis is not punished. Cannabis cafés (‘coffeeshops’)
• If you’re not used to taking cannabis, choose a product with may sell up to 5 grams of cannabis per person per day.
a low THC content and use only a small amount. Start slowly
and find out how you respond to it first. The cannabis cafés in the municipality where you bought this
• Don’t use cannabis often and don’t use it in large amounts. product are taking part in an experiment with a controlled supply
Keep it for special occasions. Don’t make it a habit. of cannabis to coffee shops. To find out more about this
• Don’t use cannabis with alcohol or other drugs. If you use experiment, go to government.nl/topics/drugs/
medication, ask your pharmacist for advice. controlled-­cannabis-supply-chain-experiment.
• Don’t use cannabis if you’re feeling low. It could make you
feel worse.
• Don’t inhale too deeply or too long. This is even worse for
your lungs.
• Find out what you can do if you or someone else has a bad trip
at drugsinfo.nl/drugs/wat-kun-je-doen-bij-een-bad-trip.

5 Support, advice and questions

Support and advice are available, even if you only have a few
questions.
• You can ask a staff member at the cannabis café for advice.
• You can call the drugs helpline (Drugsinfolijn): 0900 1995
(€ 0.10 per minute, mobile providers may charge extra). Or you
can email or chat with the helpline (go to www.drugsinfo.nl).
• You can make an appointment with an expert near you.
An advisory talk is free of charge. Go to a drugsinfo.nl/hulp/
professionele-hulp
• You can talk to your doctor if you experience negative effects or Controlled cannabis
need help quitting cannabis.
• If you sometimes think about reducing your cannabis use, or supply chain Experiment
quitting, go to drugsinfo.nl/cannabis/hoe-stoppen-met-blowen
voor meer informatie.