WHAT HAPPENS TO THE USER WHEN THE DRUG IS TAKEN?

The effect of dagga depends not only on the strength of the drug but also on the personality of the user and the atmosphere or setting in which the drug is used.

The user may feel:

 Relaxed

 Euphoric and laugh or talk excessively

The user may also have feelings of detachment or unreality and abnormal perceptions i.e. perceive/appreciate the environment differently e.g. seeing or hearing things that are not really there.
The ability to concentrate and remember becomes difficult and the user also becomes a poor judge of distance and time.

It is therefore very dangerous for a dagga user to be driving a motor vehicle when drugged.

DAGGA

WHAT IS DAGGA?

Marijuana (DAGGA) is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa.

The drug contains a number of substances called cannabinoids and it is these cannabinoids that effect the brain, heart and lungs.

It is smoked in the form of hand-rolled cigarettes or in a pipe. Often it is smoked together with Mandrax in broken-off glass bottlenecks. This combination is called a "white pipe". Some users also mix marijuana into foods or use it to brew tea.

The main active chemical in marijuana in THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). In 1988, it was discovered that the membranes of certain nerve cells contain protein receptors that bind THC.

Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana.

THC is the most potent, psychoactive cannabinoid. Cannabinoids stay in the body for weeks because they are stored in fatty tissues.

HOW IS IT SOLD?

It is obtained either loosely in a plastic bank packet called "bankies", compressed, or rolled into cigars, cigarettes or blocks. These are also known as fingers, pencils, zols, joints and bricks.

WHAT ARE THE DAMAGES TO THE BODY? Dagga is particularly harmful to the lungs. If used over a long period of time it could lead to chronic coughing, bronchitis and lung damage. As with cigarette smoking, dagga can also lead to lung cancer. Apart from the lungs, the brain is also affected. Memory and concentration are affected while intoxicated. In some people, dagga can be the trigger for life-long mental illness. Other effects of dagga: It reduces fertility in men and women. Dagga also weakness the ability of the body to fight against infection and therefore makes it easier for the user to become ill.

IS DAGGA ADDICTIVE?

Although this is a contentious issue, it is clear that some people do become dependant on dagga.

The dependence on dagga is most obvious when the drug is stopped.

The user has intense craving for the drug, feeling that he/she cannot go without dope. He/she becomes very anxious and feels a need for dagga in order to relax.
These thoughts and feelings are the main problem when trying to give up dagga. The person may become depressed and irritable and have difficulty sleeping.

EFFECTS OF HEAVY MARIJUANA USE ON LEARNING AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Longitudinal research on marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who used have lower achievement than the non-users, more acceptance of deviant behaviour, more delinquent behaviour and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug-using friends.

Remember that the brain development is not complete until the age of 18 years.

EFFECTS ON PREGNANCY

Any drug of abuse can effect a mother's health during pregnancy, and this is a time when she should take special care of herself. Drugs of abuse may interfere with proper nutrition and rest, which can affect good functioning of the immune system.

Some studies have found that babies born to mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy were smaller than those born to mothers who did not use the drug. In general, smaller babies are more likely to develop health problems.

A nursing mother who uses marijuana passes some of the THC to the baby in her breast milk. Research indicates that the use of marijuana by a mother during the first month of breast-feeding can impair the infant's motor development (control of muscle movement).