Cannabis (drug)
hideC. sativa L. subsp. sativa C. sativa L. subsp. indica
Cannabis, also known as marijuana, marihuana, and ganja (from Sanskrit: गांजा gañjā, hemp)a[›], refers to any number of preparations of psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant. The most common form is the natural herbal form.
The herbal form of the drug consists of mature female flowers and sub-tending leaves of pistillate (female) plants. The resinous form, known as hashish, consists primarily of glandular trichomes collected from the same plant material. The major psychoactive chemical compound in Cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), commonly referred to as THC. At least 66 other cannabinoids are present in Cannabis, such as cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN). Many of these cause some psychoactive interactions.
Marijuana is seen in strains of either pure breeds or intra-specific hybrids of Cannabis, typically of the subspecies indica or sativa. Strains are developed to highlight a specific combination of properties of the plant or to establish marketing differentiation.
The human consumption of Cannabis smoke is found as long ago as the 3rd millennium BC. In modern times, the drug has been used for recreational, religious or spiritual, and medicinal purposes. The United Nations estimates that about four percent of the world's adult population (162 million) use cannabis annually and about 0.6 percent (22.5 million) daily. The possession, use, or sale of psychoactive Cannabis products became illegal in most parts of the world in the early 20th century. Since then, some countries have intensified the enforcement of cannabis prohibition while others have reduced the priority of enforcement.
For more information about Cannabis (drug), read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with marijuana
Pot and pop: New research finds stronger link between music and marijuana use among teens
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 22, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
Teens who frequently listen to music that contains references to marijuana are more likely to use the drug than their counterparts with less exposure to such lyrics, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine ...
The use and misuse of alcohol and marijuana can be traced to a common set of genes
Dec 18, 2009 |
2 / 5 (4) |
0
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Roughly eight to 12 percent of marijuana users are considered "dependent" and, just like alcohol, the severity of symptoms increases with heavier use. ...
Teen marijuana use tilts up, while some drugs decline in use
Dec 14, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Marijuana use among American adolescents has increased gradually over the past two years (three years among 12th-graders) following years of declining use, according to the latest Monitoring the Future study, ...
Is cannabis the answer to Booze Britain's problems?
Dec 01, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
1
Substituting cannabis in place of more harmful drugs may be a winning strategy in the fight against substance misuse. Research published in BioMed Central' open access Harm Reduction Journal features a poll of 350 cannab ...
Brain's endocannabinoid signaling pathway kept in check by two enzymes
Nov 25, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- A research team has shown that blocking the degradation of two naturally occurring cannabinoids in the endocannabinoid signaling pathway of the brain produces marijuana-like behavioral effects in mice, according ...
The straight dope: Studies link parental monitoring with decreased teen marijuana usage
Nov 16, 2009 |
1.7 / 5 (3) |
2
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug by adolescents, with almost 42% of high school seniors admitting to having experimented with it. Continued marijuana use may result in a number of serious consequences including ...
Feds to stop prosecuting medical marijuana users (Update)
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 19, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (11) |
2
(AP) -- Pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana, prosecutors were told Monday in a new policy memo issued by ...
Teen attitudes toward smoking linked to likelihood of drinking and using drugs
Sep 30, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
New research by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers looks at the specific ways parents and peers influence teenagers to smoke, drink and use marijuana in combination. Among their findings: attitudes toward smoking influenced ...
Weeding out marijuana: Researchers close in on engineering recognizable, drug-free Cannabis plant
Sep 15, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
6
In a first step toward engineering a drug-free Cannabis plant for hemp fiber and oil, University of Minnesota researchers have identified genes producing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in marijuana. ...
Common mental disorders may be more common than we think
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Sep 10, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (4) |
3
The prevalence of anxiety, depression and substance dependency may be twice as high as the mental health community has been led to believe.
Active ingredients in marijuana found to spread and prolong pain
Aug 13, 2009 |
2.7 / 5 (22) |
24
Imagine that you're working on your back porch, hammering in a nail. Suddenly you slip and hit your thumb instead — hard. The pain is incredibly intense, but it only lasts a moment. After a few seconds (and a few unprintable ...
Growing evidence of marijuana smoke's potential dangers
Aug 05, 2009 |
2.3 / 5 (29) |
18
In a finding that challenges the increasingly popular belief that smoking marijuana is less harmful to health than smoking tobacco, researchers in Canada are reporting that smoking marijuana, like smoking ...
Pot shot: Scientists find cannabis trigger for forgetfulness
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Aug 02, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (9) |
5
Researchers on Sunday said they had pinpointed the biochemical pathway by which cannabis causes memory loss in mice.
California sprouts marijuana 'green rush'
Jul 18, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (20) |
25
(AP) -- A drug deal plays out, California-style: A conservatively dressed courier drives a company-leased Smart Car to an apartment on a weekday afternoon. Erick Alvaro hands over a white paper bag to his ...
Medical marijuana moves mainstream
Medicine & Health / Medications
Jul 06, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
David Goldman has a chronic headache, but help is on the way. A driver arrives at his apartment and rings the doorbell, checks Goldman's ID card, then hands over a small bag of marijuana.
