Cannabis is a drug derived from the hemp plant. It is known by many names depending on where it comes from, in what form and how strong it is. It is known as marijuana (marihuana), weed, grass, pot, ganja and hashish (hasheesh) to name a few. It is native to South and central Asia. Use of cannabis goes back to about the 3rd century BC.
Cannabinoids are the chemicals present in cannabis. The major chemical found in marijuana is THC, along with about 66 other chemical compounds and its concentration differs from one form of marijuana to another. Marijuana is used in the manufacture of many pharmaceutical drugs. But it is now one of the most abused drugs in the UK and US.
Forms of the drug
It is basically a plant but it comes in many forms.
- Cannabis: This is the most popular form of the drug. It includes the dried flowers along with the attaches leaves and branches of the female hemp. It contains 3% to 22% of THC.
- Hashish (hasheesh) or hash: It is a resin made of the flowers of the female hemp and is colored in a range of black to golden brown, depending on its purity and can be chewed or smoked. It is more concentrated than cannabis.
- Hash oil: It is also called honey oil and is an essential oil. It is extracted using various solvents and is concentrated with cannabinoids (40-90%). It is used in the manufacture of cannabis foods.
- Kief: It is a powder that is made from the trichomes derived from the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant. It can be used as a powder or may be compressed to give a form of hashish.
- Resin: THC has adhesive properties because of which it clings to the instrument used to smoke marijuana. It is a tar-like substance which contains THC and other chemicals. It is difficult to smoke as it causes lot of irritation and harm to the throat and lungs.
Usage
It is used in many ways. The most common way of using marijuana is smoking in the form of joint, chillum, bongs and blunts. It may also be chewed but for this, it has to be heated enough to remove its water content. It may also be brewed into a tea and consumed.
Effects
It has many immediate and short term effects like lower blood pressure, difficulty in concentrating, heavy coughing, increase in the heart rate, and poor memory, retention and perception. Its long term effects are not very clearly known.
