To ask how common is cannabis smoking?

[Netcurtainnelly]

Brothers son smokes it. Holds down a job and his financial commitments.
Hasn't progressed to any other drugs.
Been doing it for some years.
Its never spoken about. I just know he does.
I dont really have anyone to ask but i just thought I'd ask you mumsnetters.
It is common. He's mid thirties.

Just because it stays in your system for a long time compared to other substances doesn’t mean it continuously impairs your ability to drive/function. The psychoactive effects last a couple of hours or so.

the body is not concerned with flushing it through quickly as it does with other drugs including alcohol, because it’s not especially toxic for the body.

do people who get it on prescription for health conditions have to surrender their licenses? If not why is that do you think?

Why do you have to do either?

gummies and other concoctions are common in my larger circle of friends but not smoking it.

Where are you all buying your weed?? You do realise you are contributing to a whole underworld of misery. Co-exertion, slavery, abuse, the funding of hard drugs and all the misery that causes. The funding of weapons and gang violence.

On the note of gummies being less of an issue..... perhaps, but please know that although the "high" takes longer and is less intense, it stays in your system longer, don't drive for at least 12 hours.

Nobody in my social circle since I was a student, and even then not people I'd associate with much.
It depends obviously but I think it’s less common than smokers like to think.

It's calming, relaxing, reduces anxiety, reduces stress, makes the world a bit easier to tolerate, take your pick.

I think there is a lot of confusion here. I don’t know anyone in the UK who isn’t on prescription now, tbh (but I admit I don’t know many people and a lot of the ones I do know are chronically ill like I am); almost everyone seems to have at least one condition that qualifies, and buying it directly from medical cannabis companies based in Spain, the Netherlands, etc, is actually cheaper than buying it illegally.

“Prescription” has become this huge UK loophole on the way to legalization, I feel. There are other countries/localities that will only allow it in a single form (spray or oil, nothing that can be smoked), and for people with cancer or life limiting illnesses. The UK allows flower (for vaping), oil, and edibles for more than 50 conditions.

If you are on this thread and have been buying illegally, please check to make sure you don’t qualify for medical cannabis. Here is a list of the conditions, everything from migraines to back pain to PMS. AND it is much better for you; you will actually be guided by a professional to determine what is right for you (strength, strain, desired effects, etc).

The link is from Alternaleaf but I use a cheaper alternative.
www.alternaleaf.co.uk/post/qualifying-for-medical-cannabis-prescription

Nobody HAS to do anything, it's a choice, and one I find a lot less damaging on health than alcohol. I like both, but prefer weed.

I smell it almost constantly round my way. Even got a strong whiff of it in B&M the other day.

I don't like it. To me it smells like someone's taken some pond weeds, rolled it all up and lit it. I find the smell of tobacco much nicer, until it goes stale, in which case also blegh.

It's weed, not crack 😂

It's everywhere, kids smoke it in the bus station. Pathetic. Gen Alpha will be even more useless than Gen Z.

Approximately 7/8% of adults - though I think that’s under reporting and higher figures are available depending on the data source

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/drugmisuseinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2024#:~:text=Download%20this%20chart,-Image%20.csv%20.xls&text=Around%20one%2Dthird%20of%20people,2%20of%20the%20accompanying%20dataset.

Young people who get caught up in the distribution of these drugs, often get pulled in deeper.

I live in Bristol and the whole city is under a permanent fug of weed. It's as common as oxygen here. And no, it isn't all due to the students. It's all age groups and demographics.

Pretty common in my social circle. All professionals, with kids and keeping all the balls in the air. I'd say my social circle probably drink less than the average person.
I've used it practically daily since I was about 15, it's how I relax (I vape it), same with DH.

I don't know anybody in my family or circle of friends who smoke cannabis or even smoke cigarettes for that matter. The only people I know are my DD17 friends parents.

Cannabis stays in your system for up to 72 hours. Those driving the day after, take note!

Thank you, that's helpful to know. Had no idea.

I can't actually access more than the abstract from the linked article but it suggests impairment for up to 24hrs. As this piece states, It's the impairment that's important, not whether it's still in your system. System clearance is much quicker.

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/health-effects/impairment-safety-risk.html

Smoked it when young, haven't touched it in at least 15/20 years, most people I knew my age smoked it then, no one really did any other drugs that I knew of. I wouldn't smoke it now as gave me really bad anxiety/paranoia when high. I don't even drink alcohol now and after reading the latest work Christmas do thread, am very relieved I am sober!

We had a really strong smell of it on the duel carriage way the other day. I guess we drove past someone smoking it and didn't realise but it smelt as strongly as when you walk past someone smoking in the street. Never even had that with cigarettes before, it was bizarre.

Would you buy it if it was legal, like in most of North America? The legal stuff doesn’t really have a smell but I don’t enjoy smoking it as much as I love taking it orally. What’s wrong with using gummies?

@CharlotteLightandDark and @NoKidsSendDogs thanks, I never really knew what it did except relax you. Actually sounds like something I wouldn't mind trying but with my addictive personality and tendency to self-medicate AND family history of MH issues probably best not to! Glad you're both finding it helps though.

FTR I think it should be legal, but just wanted to add that the organisation that prescribe my meds through the NHS RTC pathway won't prescribe if you use weed. Studies have shown that it makes some of the meds work more potently thus making them harder to dose - likely the combined dopamine effect.

The private clinics are providing unlicensed meds with the caveat that you must have tried at least two of the conventional treatments first. For ADHD it's mainly used to treat the hectic element/help you calm down. I was reading an article by a renowned ADHD specialist and he referred to studies that showed weed actually makes the vast majority of ADHD symptoms worse - working memory, attention span, impulsivity, etc.

He said it was more that it helped calm them down so they don't worry about the other effects as much and hence still report an 'improvement' despite their ADHD being worse in most measurable ways. In most cases I've seen, the patient just wants the weed. Almost every single advert on FB is full of people saying "what do I need to do to get this?" and people explaining what to say etc. It's mostly driven by people wanting weed rather than doctors suggesting it as a treatment IME, except for cases where people are already on a cocktail of strong addictive opioids etc.

Yes Ive smoked, eaten and vaped it for years. Currently use medically issued THC vape cartridges. I use it every evening but never during the day.

I have a professional job that I manage to do perfectly well. Being a daily user has no impact on that at all.

I don’t drink much and work out several times a week so pretty healthy.

most of my social circle use it to varying degrees. Some are occasional and others far more frequent. Some are also into recreational cocaine but that’s not my thing.