Say Why To Drugs – the highs and lows of cannabis

Fortnightly for the next two months, I'll be investigating different drugs, busting some myths and explaining potential harms and benefits. This week: cannabis

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the UK. It's the resin of a plant, and is consumed by smoking (sometimes with, sometimes without tobacco), eating, and more recently, vaping. Despite some suggestion that cannabis might be linked to poor mental health and educational outcomes, it is popular because it's seen as less harmful than some other illicit drugs, and not necessarily that different to smoking cigarettes. But does the evidence back this belief up?