NOT FOR PROFIT | REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2009/004578/08 | SARS REFERENCE: 9208/576/17/4
DAGGA - MARIJUANA - CANNABIS
THIS DRUG, COMMONLY KNOWN AS DAGGA IN SOUTH AFRICA, IS THE MOST OFTEN USED ILLEGAL DRUG IN THE COUNTRY.
It is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). All forms of cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs; they all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. There are about 400 chemicals in a cannabis plant, but THC is the one that affects the brain the most. Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette (called a "joint" or “zol”). The drug can also be smoked in a water pipe, called a "bong."
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
Drowsiness Red eyes Increased appetite Loss of coordination Distorted vision, hearing and sense of time Increased heart rate Poor memory
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
Psychotic symptoms Growth disorders Lung damage Reduced ability to learn and retain information Heart damage Reduction of male sex hormones Reduced ability to fight lung infections and illness
THE VIDEO on the left shows youth in Inanda township South Africa speaking about why they smoke dagga and drink alcohol. They were interviewed by other community members.
THIS DRUG, COMMONLY KNOWN AS DAGGA IN SOUTH AFRICA, IS THE MOST OFTEN USED ILLEGAL DRUG IN THE COUNTRY.
