Harm Minimisation Tip 1

Harm Minimisation Tip 2

Harm Minimisation Tip 3

Harm Minimisation Tip 4

Harm Minimisation Tip 5

Harm Minimisation Tip 6

Cannabis & Hard Drugs

Cannabis & Driving

Seize Control of the Means of Production

Safety Tips for Growers from the SA FIRE Brigade

Grow Green? - Grow Clean!

Having Trouble with Pot?

Introduction:

Cannabis use is not harmless (and we have never said it is)

However, neither is water (drinking too much can kill you!) not to mention deaths by drowning,

Having said that, Cannabis use can be problematic for some people.

Australian research indicates that people
with heart or lung disease,
pregnant women
or people with a pre-disposition or family history
of schizophrenia or psychosis
should probably avoid Cannabis.

At the very least they should be extra careful.

For the rest of us there are some handy and useful tips that can be adopted
to reduce the risks of negative consequences.

Some of these harm minimisation techniques were first published in the booklet Mulling It Over
put out by the Manley Drug Education & Counselling Centre.
It's the sort of stuff the government should be telling you about, but don't,
but since their crediblity on the issue has long ago been completley eroded,
(like the classic case of the boy who cried wolf)
its probably just as well it's left up to groups like us.

Harm Minimisation Tip 1:

Avoid smoking in public.
Be aware smoking in public (and that includes in a motor vehicle)
is a criminal offence - On-the-spot fines do not apply!
If you must, be casual, avoid hanging around hotel car parks, or slinking around in back lanes.
It looks suspicious and it is!

Smoking individiual spliffs/joints is probably the most inconspicious.
Certainly better than trying to carry a bong around with you or passing pipes around.

Make sure your car is not defectable!

A vast number of busts occur as a result of Police pulling over people
for minor traffic violations or vehicle unroadworthyness.
Making sure your lights and indicators work.
Replacing that bald tire and keeping your rego up to date is good advice anyway,
but if it stops you from being pulled over, its paid for itself already!

Once Police have pulled you over once, you can be at their mercy in future,
especially if you are young or are driving an older model car.
Police have sometimes been known to pay HOME VISITS
to people whose address they have gathered from stopping cars,
so it's far safer not to come to their attention in the first place.

Harm Minimisation Tip Two:

According to the Mutli-disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
a joint is actually the safest way to smoke Cannabis as you inhale less carbon monoxide.
A bong may reduce particulate matter and cool the smoke,
but they are probably a great way to transmit colds as well.

If you are using a pipe between friends
pass the flame of a lighter over the mouthpiece before and after each toke.
Its a sure-fire way to eradicate cold viruses and will also reduce the chance of you catching something like Hepatitis B or C/D/E or even herpes (coldsores) or the 'flu'. (influenza)!
( Before I get my sued because someone burns their lips,
let me add you should let it cool down a bit before you toke!)

Harm reduction Tip Three:

Taking two or more different drugs at the same time is a major cause of drug related harms and can be fatal.

Using Cannabis and drinking alcohol at the same time is a common cause of "spin outs".

Remembering the saying:

"Grass then beer, you're in the clear; beer then grass, you're on your ass!"

is a good way to remind yourself of the synergistic potentiating effects of Cannabis.

Having a smoke when you are already drunk is not a good idea,
especially for beginners!

Cannabis and Hard Drugs:

The biggest killer drugs in Australia are tobacco, and alcohol,
responsible between them for 97% of drug related deaths in the country.
Tobacco alone accounts for 64%.
Mixing with "spin" or tobacco is sometimes seen as a cheaper way to make your pot last longer,
but it is almost certainly one of the worst things you could do for your health.

Many cannabis users do become addicted to hard drugs like tobacco by smoking spliffs or cones mixed with tobacco.
Do yourself a favour - leave out the tobacco!

As an alternative, consider using a herbal "mull mixes".

Harm Reduction Tip 4

We would advise avoiding smoking leaf or pipe scrapings (also known as "resin").
The ratio of psychoactive compounds to non psychoactive crud is far greater.
The less smoke you inhale the better.
Smoking the best quality heads you can find will reduce the amount of overall particulate matter inhaled and potentially deposited in your lungs, and that's got to be a good thing!
(This has relevance to the debate about THC potency in modern cannabis. Higher is better!)

A vaporiser is probably the best way to go.
These devices don't actually burn the Cannabis as such,
but simply heat the buds to the point where the THC and other psychoactive compounds are vapourised
(hence the name), but before the stuff actually combusts. Although not common, these devices can be purchased, or made by the enterprising handy person.
Search the internet for details!

Harm Reduction Tip 5

Some research has been done in the USA, showing holding your breath with a lung full of smoke doesn't add much to the stone,
but adds considerably to the amount of carbon monoxide absorbed by the brain.
This is the same stuff as in car exhaust fumes, so it's unsurprising we don't advocate this.
From our experience you reach the desired level of psychoactive effect (ie get just as stoned)
by smoking as you would normally.
You don't need to take monster tokes, or hold your breath till you turn blue!

Harm Reduction Tip 6

Loosely pack the cone or bowl and/or use smaller bowls/cones.
Stuffing as much bud as you can into a cone is wasteful.
Overheating the Cannabis just wastes the THC
which vapourises into the air at higher temperatures.
Overpacking your implement also results in hard little black lumps of crud
that just cause blockages and waste pot.

Cannabis & Driving

Be careful, and avoid driving or operating heavy machinery whilst impaired.

Be particularly careful if consuming Cannabis and alcohol at the same time.
Whilst many people affected by Cannabis acknowlege they are stoned and reduce their driving speed and concentrate more to compensate, alcohol has the opposite effect.

Harm reduction tip: If in doubt, wait it out!

Note however Australian and international research shows Cannabis-affected drivers are safer than those affected by alcohol, and are less likely to be culpable in the event of an accident.

[Thanks to Dr Greg Pike from the Southern Cross Bioethics Centre for reminding us.]

Seize Control of the Means of Production!

(Grow your own!)

*One of the major harms associated with the prohibition of Cannabis is the existance of the black market for Cannabis and organised crimes' involvement in it.

*The SA Social Impacts Report found that only 25% of Cannabis users grew their own smoke.
75% or 3/4 of the sample had to rely on getting their pot from someone else.

*If you "seize control of the means of production" and grow your own Cannabis,
you would not have to deal with the black market.

Harm Reduction for Cannabis Growers.

METROPOLITAN FIRE SERVICE ADVISES POT GROWERS ON SAFETY!

Recently the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) advised indoor growers about the hazards of improperly wired lights and electrical appliances like timers, fans, pumps etc.

At last count the MFS estimated about 1 house fire a week is caused by a faulty or defective electrics in an indoor and/or hydroponics set up.

The MFS advised growers to ensure they used a professional electrician to set up the wiring, install adequate ventilation and be careful of using lots of flammable plastic that seals in heat.

Obviously the close proximity of water and electric cables, powerboards and appliances is potentially hazardous and requires extreme caution.

Most importantly the MFS also advise a the installation of a safety switch (a terminator?) that will cut the power in a thousandth of a second should things short out.

This could not only stop your growing system from exploding and catching fire, but could also save your life, should you happen to drop your powerboard into a puddle of leaking nutrient etc.

Installing smoke alarms was also recommended.

Whilst a smoke alarm would certainly draw some attention to you, its probably less than the attention that fire engines racing down your street and stopping outside your house would recieve.

Having a fire extinguisher handy is also plain common sense and can be had for as little as $20.

Remember the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared!"

Grow Green? - Grow Clean!

HEMP SA is seriously concerned by suggestions of increasing use of toxic chemicals, especially pesticides,
on Cannabis by uneducated or unscrupulous growers.

Try and ensure these sorts of chemicals are never used on your pot!

If you are a grower make sure you don't get pests like spider mites in the first place.
Maintaining strict plant hygene in the early stages is a lot easier than dealing with an infestation later on.
Use biological control methods (ie predatory mites) or non toxic alternatives to chemicals. such as detergent, garlic spray or nicotine spray (toxic - but more so for bugs than humans).

If you must use toxic chemicals, ensure you read the instructions and allow or exceed the recommended withholding period before you harvest!

Remember if you wouldn't smoke it, it's gotta be bad karma to let someone else smoke it!