What is CannaPeer and how do peers work on cannabis?

CannaPeer is a pilot project for cannabis prevention at universities. Students are trained as peers and carry out prevention at eye level, meaning that people of the same age inform, answer questions and encourage others to think. The project aims at prevention in Bavaria and is piloted at three universities: Bamberg, Kempten and Munich. It works with workshops and open action formats. It does not offer individual counselling or treatment.

What peer prevention means

Peer prevention relies on closeness to everyday life, credibility and a low-threshold approach. This is how the MINDZONE project page describes it. Peers know everyday life at university and school from their own experience, which makes conversations easier to start.

According to its own description, the CannaPeer peers deliver cannabis prevention at eye level. This means an approach that informs and leaves questions open. For you, that means you can ask questions without an immediate judgement following.

Who takes part in CannaPeer

The peers are students who are trained for their role. They develop their own prevention offers for students and for pupils at vocational schools and secondary schools. According to the project page, the target group starts with pupils from year 10 (Jahrgangsstufe 10) upwards.

What peers actually do

The project page names two aims. The peers want to strengthen non-users in their decision not to take part. At the same time, they encourage users to reflect on their own use. Both happen without moralising.

The offers range from workshops to open action formats that adapt to the respective setting. The content covers factual information about cannabis, the promotion of awareness of risks and self-reflection, and the strengthening of decision-making and action skills.

Area	What peers do
Information	Factual information on cannabis and its risks
Reflection	Encouraging people to examine their own use and the reasons for it
Strengthening	Strengthening non-users in their decision
Format	Workshops and open actions, depending on the setting

Which facts peers pass on

The factual information includes statements that the prevention portal cannabispraevention.de of the BIÖG also gives. According to it, THC interferes with the maturation processes in the brain, and the risks of cannabis are particularly high for young people. According to cannabispraevention.de, combining cannabis with alcohol puts a strong strain on the circulation and often leads to nausea and vomiting. Alcohol also leads people to overestimate themselves, as feel-ok.ch describes.

Myths can also be examined in a workshop. According to drugcom, the simple claim that cannabis automatically leads to harder drugs is considered disproved, especially since in almost all cases tobacco smoking comes before the first use of cannabis. With continued use, by contrast, psychological dependence can develop, which shows mainly as a strong craving for cannabis.

Where the limit lies

CannaPeer is a prevention offer. Peers are students and do not work as doctors, psychotherapists or addiction counsellors. If you notice that your use is dominating your everyday life, an addiction counselling centre is the better place. An overview is in the article on the addiction counselling centre.

Specialists should also be involved for physical complaints or psychological crises. A conversation with peers can pave the way there, but it does not replace them.

What you can expect from a peer offer

The project page describes two formats: workshops, in which a group talks about cannabis, and open action formats that adapt to the respective setting, such as a university or a vocational school. The focus is on factual information about cannabis and its risks, plus self-reflection and decision-making skills.

What peer work can achieve and what it cannot

The project page names the aim of strengthening non-users in their decision and of encouraging users to deal consciously with their own use. A conversation among peers can give food for thought and clear up questions. It does not replace a medical or psychotherapeutic assessment. Anyone who has had difficulties for a longer time should take the next step towards counselling.

According to the project page, new peers are recruited regularly and trained by experienced students. This is meant to keep the project going in the long term. MINDZONE, which is run by the Landescaritasverband Bayern, cooperates with CannaPeer at Munich University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule München).

According to the project page, the project aims to develop and test a sustainable peer-to-peer approach to cannabis prevention in Bavaria. MINDZONE is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention. If you are interested in an offer, the best way to find dates and contacts is through the university on site.

If you need support

If you are unsure whether your use is still fine, the Cannabis check helps as a first orientation. For a personal conversation, the Sucht & Drogen Hotline can be reached on 01806 313031 and, according to the federal drug commissioner, costs 20 cents per call. Anyone who wants to talk anonymously will find further routes in the guide on anonymous conversations. For questions about self-help, the article on self-help for people who use cannabis is a good starting point.