Research Guides: Drug and alcohol information for PDHPE students: Cannabis

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Key to library resources

	In the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents)
	Only in the Library
	Publicly available

Cannabis

Cannabis comes from the Cannabis sativa plant. The primary active ingredient is THC (delta - 9 tetrahydrocannabinol), a central nervous system depressant. THC can also act as a hallucinogen.

Cannabis comes in three different forms:

marijuana, the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant - this is the weakest form
hashish (or hash), the dried resin from the cannabis plant, which is stronger than marijuana
hashish oil (or hash oil), which is oil extracted from hashish, which is the most potent form.

All types of cannabis can be cooked into food and eaten.

Drug facts

Use the following websites to find information about specific drugs, including their long and short term effects, how they are used, legal status and information on mixing drugs.

A-Z of drugs - Drug Info, State Library of NSW
Find information on a range of legal and illicit drugs. Drug Info is a joint initiative of NSW Health and the State Library of NSW.
Your Room - NSW Health
Find information and free pamphlets about the most commonly used drugs in Australia. Your Room is a joint initiative of NSW Health and St Vincent's Alcohol and Drug Information Service.
#Drugs the facts - Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF)
Find information about drugs and the impacts of drug use.
Drugs A-Z Factsheet
Drug information from Positive Choices specifically targeted at students from years 7-12, including the short and long term effects on the body and mind.
National Alcohol and Drug Knowledgebase - National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA)
This website draws on the highest quality Australian data to provide accurate and easy-to-understand information about alcohol and other drugs. A series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) is used to present data in an easily understood manner.

Journal articles

Journal articles are a good source of explanations and discussions of drug and alcohol issues. There are several eresources with links to journal articles available in the State Library.

Health and Wellness Resource Center (Gale)
Includes a medical encyclopaedia, a dictionary and journal articles from a variety of popular and scholarly publications. Document supply available.
ProQuest Psychology Database [eresource]
This database encompasses a wide range of topics from leading psychology and psychosomatic publications. In addition to clinical and social psychology, it also provides coverage of related disciplines including genetics, psychology of business and economics, communication, criminology, addiction, neurology, social welfare, and more. Document supply available.

A quick guide to drugs and alcohol

A quick guide to drugs and alcohol
An easy to read reference book with information on a range of drugs, drug effects, drugs and driving, pregnancy, treatment, statistics, drugs and the law and where to go for help and further information.

Further information from Drug Info

Visit the Drug Info website for free drug and alcohol information for the community of NSW. Drug Info is a partnership between NSW Ministry of Health and the State Library of NSW.

Respect your brain videos

The Respect Your Brain animated video series is designed for young people. The videos focus on the effects of alcohol, cannabis and MDMA on the developing brain.