By the age of 21, 80% of New Zealanders have tried cannabis at least once. And 10% developed a pattern of heavy use (Dunedin and Christchurch Longitudinal Studies).
Withdrawal from regular cannabis use can last a week, and symptoms include anxiety, irritability, craving, aggression and difficulty sleeping.
All drug use brings a risk of harm. The best way to stay safe is to plan. Know your limits and how cannabis affects you.
Eating cannabis in food or drink form is the least harmful way of using it. Make sure you wait at least two hours before eating more so that you do not use more than you intended to.
Smoking anything is harmful for your lungs and heart. Vaporisers are safer because they heat rather than burn cannabis so you can achieve the same effect as smoking, without or the strain from deep inhaling or the harm of inhaling smoke. Vaporisers are also less harmful than smoking bongs or filtered joints.
Mixing any drugs together increases the risk of harm. Using cannabis with alcohol increases the likelihood of experiencing negative effects.
Symptoms will usually pass if you don't take anymore and try to keep calm.
Other things to keep an eye out for are changes in concentration, memory, motivation, and mood. Take the PotHelp test to see if your using is a problem.