PotHelp is now The Level, a straight up guide for people who use drugs.
All the information you’re familiar with is still available here.
What does cannabis feel like?
Cannabis is a depressant, meaning it slows down your body functions. It can make you feel relaxed, giggly and hungry (having the ‘munchies’), slow down your speech and thinking or make you feel paranoid. If you smoke or vape cannabis, the effects can start very quickly (within 2–10 minutes). If you take cannabis orally in an oil or food, it can take 30–60 minutes to kick in.
Unpleasant symptoms from taking too much cannabis are often referred to as ‘greening out’. There is not a specific amount of cannabis that can cause this – it depends on your tolerance and your individual body. Remember, a low dose for one person can be a high dose for another as people’s bodies process drugs differently.
Moderate dose
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Pleasant effects |
Unpleasant effects |
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Giggly Increased sensory perception Relaxed and calm Socially confident Reduced feelings of pain Less stressed or anxious Euphoria |
Hunger cravings Dry mouth (‘cotton mouth’) Bloodshot eyes Slurred or slowed speech Mildly nauseous Memory problems Slow reflexes Uncoordinated Mildly anxious Mildly paranoid Low mood |
High dose
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Pleasant effects |
Unpleasant effects |
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Numb Laughing and feeling giddy Increased relaxation Increased euphoria |
Heaviness in limbs Increased lack of coordination Drowsy or groggy Increased nausea Making risky decisions or judgements Increased anxiety Socially anxious Increased paranoia Feeling panicked or having panic attacks Intense emotions Increased low mood |
Very high dose
| Pleasant Effects | Unpleasant Effects |
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Intense full-body relaxation Intense euphoria |
Feeling very hot or very cold Difficulty moving your body Disturbing hallucinations Severely dizzy Severely nauseous Chest pain Vomiting Severe anxiety Severe paranoia Severe panic attacks Losing consciousness |
A woman reflects on how cannabis makes her feel:
"It makes me feel relaxed and at peace with the world. If I take too much and am in the wrong social situation I can get a bit paranoid, especially as it gets hard to tell whether I am thinking something or if I have said it out loud."
What to do if you've had too much cannabis
You cannot die from a cannabis overdose. However, smoking too much cannabis can create an unpleasant experience. It is important to remember that this is only the case if you are using cannabis alone as the effects can change or become more dangerous when mixed with alcohol or other drugs and medications. In some cases, synthetic cannabinoids might be sold as cannabis. These drugs have a much higher potential to cause overdose or serious harm.
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If you … |
Then … |
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Feel very thirsty (called ‘cotton mouth’) Experience sore or dry eyes Have headaches Feel dizzy Feel nauseous Feel uncoordinated Have heart palpitations Feel anxious Experience social anxiety Experience mild paranoia |
Try these things at home:
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Feel very dizzy or feel you might faint Feel very uncoordinated Trip, stumble or fall over Have an irregular heartbeat Experience increased anxiety Experience increased paranoia Are emotionally distressed Feel panicked Have a panic attack Have severe nausea or vomiting Have disturbing hallucinations |
Call a doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116) You won't get in trouble if you tell them you've used drugs. They can talk you through the next steps.
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Have chest pains Experience severe emotional distress Act violently Experience psychosis Lose consciousness |
Call 111 These are signs that something more serious is going on. You or the people around you should act quickly. |
If you experience unexpected or concerning effects from cannabis you can notify High Alert to help keep others safe.
A male in his 20s talks about his experience of using more cannabis than he was comfortable with:
“I took a few puffs, and I didn’t feel anything. If I had waited for a bit, it would have kicked in. But instead, I had a lot more puffs. And it was like, a train had just hit me. I was like holy sh*t, I am really high right now. I felt super paranoid and thought everyone was talking about me. When it was pretty obvious they weren’t.”
What are the long-term effects of using cannabis?
Cannabis can be an addictive substance, and regular use can result in long-term problems for your body and brain. The impacts of cannabis can be more severe if you start using regularly during adolescence or if you have a family history of mental conditions such as schizophrenia.
Regular use of cannabis can have impacts on your memory, attention span and ability to learn new things. There is lots of different research on this topic. Some suggests that these effects will reduce once cannabis use has stopped for several months, and others suggest that long-term use can change brain structures and create lasting problems.
Regular cannabis use has also been linked to mental health disorders. It is believed that cannabis can increase your chances of developing psychosis or schizophrenia if you have a family history of this (sometimes called a genetic predisposition). Research has also shown that regular cannabis use in adolescence can be linked to depression later in life. Cannabis – in particular, CBD – also has positive effects on the brain. CBD is used as a treatment for anxiety and sleep disorders.
Like tobacco, smoking cannabis regularly for a long period of time can have unpleasant effects on your body. When smoked, heavy cannabis use can be linked to chronic lung issues and cancer, especially of the lungs, neck and mouth area.
Does cannabis cause impairment?
Even at low doses, cannabis can affect your daily activities. This is generally the case for cannabis products that contain THC as products that contain only CBD are unlikely to cause impairment. The peak effects of cannabis usually last up to 3 hours, but some can last for as long as 8 hours. If you use cannabis regularly over a long period of time, you may experience longer-term effects, even when you are not high.
Cannabis can cause drowsiness, slowed reflexes, poor judgement and memory problems. People using cannabis may appear and act ‘out of it’ or seem unmotivated and sleepy. Because of this, it is unsafe to drive, operate machinery or do tasks that need concentration or coordination. Cannabis can also cause changes in your perception of the world around you and can make you feel anxious or paranoid in social situations. This can make interacting with others difficult. It can also mean you say or do things that are not usual for you.
How can you be safer when using cannabis?
Cannabis is used in lots of different ways and can effect everyone differently. It is a good idea to think about the ways you can be safer when you use.
If you are using edibles, wait an hour to feel the effects before taking more. When cannabis is smoked, the effects kick in quite quickly. However, when you take cannabis in an oil or in an 'edible' (like a weed brownie) it takes a bit longer to feel high. Waiting for an hour before taking more orally will reduce the chance of greening out.
Try to avoid mixing cannabis with tobacco. Tobacco is highly addictive, and if you are mixing it with cannabis often and smoking them together, you might find yourself craving nicotine regularly. It can also do more damage to your lungs.
Consider vaping cannabis instead of smoking it. Although more research needs to be done in this area, there is some research to suggest that vaporizing cannabis, instead of smoking it, can reduce the damage to your lungs.
Avoid using cannabis regularly to help you sleep. This can lead to dependence if it becomes a regular part of your sleeping routine. It can also cause insomnia if you stop using cannabis, which can make withdrawal much harder.
Check your cannabis for signs that it is synthetic cannabinoids. It is a good idea to smell your cannabis before you use it. If it has an unusual or chemical smell it is likely to be synthetic cannabinoids. These drugs have much different and more dangerous effects than cannabis. Unfortunately, cannabis is plant material, so it is difficult for it to be tested at a drug checking clinic using a spectrometer. There are other machines that can more reliably test these drugs, but they are not currently available in New Zealand. There are also no reagent tests available for cannabis.
For more information on how to be safer when using drugs and alcohol, see Safer using.
To order PotHelp Workbooks that support people to make changes to their cannabis use and other free resources for safer use, see Resources.
If you take cannabis, will it show up on a drug test?
Cannabis is usually tested for using hair, urine, saliva (spit) or blood. It is a drug that is commonly tested for, and it is easier to get reliable results than for many other substances.
Cannabis testing windows vary depending on how much you have used, how often and your individual body. For people who use cannabis heavily (several times a week), it is often detectable for longer than if it has only been used once. Generally, cannabis can be detected for 3–30 days in urine, 24–72 hours in saliva up to 48 hours in blood and up to 90 days in hair.
If you fail a drug test, this may affect your employment, government support, court cases or official licences or registrations. At work, you may face legal consequences, especially if you have put the safety of others at risk.
If you are using CBD or other cannabis products for medical reasons, you can speak with your doctor about what to do if you are expecting a drug test. It is legal to use these products with a prescription from a doctor in New Zealand.
Can you test positive for cannabis if you have not used it?
The short answer is yes. Drug testing is not an 100% accurate science and will sometimes give a ‘false positive’ result. This is when a drug test says that a person has a drug in their system, when they actually do not. In these situations, the positive result has been caused by something else like medication or food.
In very rare cases you can get a false positive result for cannabis (THC) if you have eaten hemp food products or been exposed to lots of secondhand cannabis smoke. More commonly, many medications can result in a false positive for cannabis. This includes efavirenz (an HIV medication), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and stomach medication like omeprazole. These may not be the only medications that can show a false positive, and not everyone who takes these medications will have a false positive for cannabis. If you are expecting a drug test for cannabis and you are using a food or medication that may cause a false positive, speak with your doctor or the test provider beforehand to discuss your next steps.
What do comedowns from cannabis feel like, and how can you feel better?
The effects of cannabis can vary in time depending on how you take it (smoked, eaten), but they generally last from 1–8 hours. Most comedowns from cannabis are mild and start shortly after the effects wear off.
The comedown from cannabis can be unpleasant or unpredictable when mixed with alcohol and other drugs or prescription medications.
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If you … |
Then … |
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Feel tired Feel dehydrated Feel agitated or irritable Have aches and pains Have difficulty concentrating Have headaches Have difficulty sleeping Feel anxious Experience low mood Have memory problems Feel nauseous |
Try these things at home:
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Experience increased dehydration Have increased anxiety Have increased low mood Have ongoing insomnia Have severe headaches or migraines Have severe nausea Have increased vomiting |
Call a doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116) They can talk you through the next steps.
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Have severe vomiting Have severe dehydration Have psychosis |
Call 111 These are signs that something more serious is going on. You or the people around you should act quickly. |
How do you manage withdrawal from cannabis?
See the 'Making changes' page for more information on how to Manage withdrawal from drugs and alcohol.
Cannabis can be an addictive substance, especially when it is used regularly or in high doses. If you use cannabis often, you are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop using. Withdrawal symptoms can start around 1–3 days from your last use and last up to 14 days for most people. The severity and length of withdrawal is different for everyone and depends on how much you use, how often and your individual body.
In some cases, cannabis withdrawal can be very unpleasant, and you may need the support of a doctor or a withdrawal service to help you. If you are worried about withdrawing, you can speak with your doctor about what will work best for you before you start.
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If you … |
Then … |
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Have strong cravings to use cannabis Have difficulty concentrating Feel tired Have decreased libido Have aches and pains Have difficulty sleeping Feel agitated or irritable Have headaches Have vivid or disturbing dreams Experience changes in weight or appetite Feel nauseous Sweat or feel very hot or very cold Feel jittery Have stomach-aches Experience low mood Feel anxious Feel paranoid |
Try these things at home:
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Have increased agitation Have increased sweating Have increased feeling of being very hot or very cold Experience ongoing blurred vision Have ongoing insomnia Have heart palpitations Experience major changes in weight Have tremors Experience severe or ongoing anxiety Experience severe or ongoing low mood Experience severe or ongoing paranoia Feel panicked or have a panic attack Have severe or ongoing pain Have hallucinations Have suicidal thoughts |
Call a doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116) You can talk to your doctor about:
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Experience extreme agitation Experience psychosis Feel severely emotionally distressed Attempt suicide |
Call 111 These are signs you could be experiencing cannabis withdrawal syndrome or that something more serious is going on. You or the people around you should act quickly. |
For more information on getting support for drug and alcohol use, see Finding support.
Is cannabis illegal?
Cannabis is legal for medicinal use in New Zealand with a prescription but is still considered a controlled substance. Depending on its form, cannabis is either a Class C or Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Cannabis resin (commonly known as hashish) and cannabis oil (commonly known as hash oil) are Class B. All other cannabis products, including cannabis seeds are Class C. This means that it is illegal to possess these drugs if you do not have a medical prescription. It is also illegal to buy, sell, grow, or import THC and CBD cannabis products in New Zealand. Even if you have a prescription for a cannabis product, you cannot give this to other people.
It is illegal to drive while impaired from cannabis.
To find out more about the law around legal and controlled drugs, including cannabis see Drugs and the law.
