Cannabis
Cannabis or hemp are a product of the plant cannabis sativa , indica and ruderalis. It is consumed in different forms and goes by various names such as grass, weed, marijuana or ganja in its herbal form and 'hashish', 'solid' or 'soap bar' in its resinous form. Cannabis can also come as an oil and is now used in medicine as a spray (Sativex) and other applications such as supposotries and patches are being explored.
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The two dominate forms of cannabis are sativa and Indica. Narrow-leafed "sativa" drug strains are native to the Indian subcontinent, and are also cultivated in Africa, South and Central America, the Caribbean Basin, and in other marijuana producing regions. These strains are usually tall, laxly branched, and relatively late-maturing. They have largely been replaced by so-called "indica/sativa" hybrids by commercial cannabis growers because the hybrids yield a larger crop in a shorter period of time.
The herbal form of the drug consists of dried mature inflorescences ('buds') and under todays technology and breeding techniques the potency of the buds have doubled in the past decade ('skunk' - a blanket term for a variety of cannabis grown under lights - is now leveling out at 15% THC in the UK).
Wide-leafed "indica" drug strains are traditionally cultivated in northwest India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan for the production of hashish, and may have originated in the Hindu-Kush or Tian Shan mountain range. Although many commercially available varieties are genetically fixed to produce relatively high levels of THC and low levels of CBD, some users report more of a body "stoned" and less of a head "high" effect from these varieties compared to the narrow-leafed strains. Differences in the content of the essential oil may account for some of these differences.
The THC content is also affected by the sex of the plant, with female plants generating substantially more resin than their male counterparts. Seedless varieties derived from unpollinated female plants have high THC content and are traditionally known as sinsemilla (Spanish: "without seed").
Though the main psychoactive chemical compound in cannabis is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the plant is known to contain about sixty or so cannabinoids. One other cannabinoid of particularly high concentration in some plants is cannabidiol (CBD), which is not psychoactive but has recently been shown to block the effect or control the onset and duration of THC in the nervous system. Differences in the chemical composition of cannabis varieties may produce different effects in humans.
Contaminants are also found in street cannabis; low-quality hashish such as soap bar has a reputation for being full of contaminants (some psychoactive, some not) which serve to increase the bulk of the street product. There have been reports of herbal cannabis being adulterated with 'grit' and minute silica crystals in the UK and Ireland. These crystals resemble THC in appearance, yet are much heavier, and so serve again to increase the weight, and hence value, of the cannabis on the street.
It has been reported that commercial hashish is often no more potent than high quality seedless marijuana. However, carefully produced and screened hashish is up to three times as potent as the highest quality herbal varieties. The range of potencies (measured as THC content by dry weight) found in seized hashish has varied from 3% to 8%. Most commonly available 'commercial' cannabis contains 3-6% THC. Selective breeding and modern cultivation techniques like hydroponics have produced varieties between 15 and 24% THC (2007). Herbal cannabis can not exceed 25% THC, it is a biological impossibility as this will poison the plant. However, carefully produced resin using the ice method can produce resin that is up to 67% THC..
Although there are many conflicting studies involving health issues and the effects of cannabis, certain physical and mental health conclusions have been reached. Today, there is still a substantial amount of propaganda and misinformation from both cannabis advocates and opponents due to the legal issues of cannabis, including legal and political constraints on cannabis research. The most obvious confounding factor in cannabis research is the prevalent usage of other recreational drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. Such complications demonstrate the need for studies on cannabis that have stronger controls, and investigations into the symptoms of cannabis use that may also be caused by tobacco.
On 23 May 2006, Donald Tashkin, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles announced that the use of Marijuana does not appear to increase the risk of developing lung cancer, or increase the risk of head and neck cancers, such as cancer of the tongue, mouth, throat, or esophagus. On the other hand a 2002 report by the British Lung Foundation estimated that three to four cannabis cigarettes a day were associated with the same amount of damage to the lungs as 20 or more tobacco cigarettes a day.
According to a United Kingdom government report, using cannabis is less dangerous than tobacco, prescription drugs, and alcohol in social harms, physical harm and addiction. Research between the use of cannabis and mental illness has also brought significant results. Check ACMD Cannabis Report »Cannabis use is generally higher among sufferers of schizophrenia, but the causality between the two has not been established. Another study concluded that sustained early adolescent cannabis use among genetically predisposed individuals has been associated with a variety of mental illness outcomes, ranging from psychotic episodes to clinical schizophrenia. Check WEED Manual »
A number of studies indicate that THC may provide medical benefits for cancer and AIDS patients by increasing appetite and decreasing nausea. It has been shown to assist some glaucoma patients by reducing pressure within the eye, and is used in the form of cannabis by a number of multiple sclerosis patients to relieve the spasms associated with their condition.
The effects of cannabis start as soon as 1-10 minutes after it is taken and can last 3 to 4 hours or even longer. The stronger varieties 'skunk' can come on quicker. The high from cannabis is not always clear cut and predictable, unlike stimulants for instance, however there are some salient common features. Highs vary from: A feeling of euphoria, intense relaxation (some users claim to become more tired), reduced stress and anger. Most experience pleasure, but one out of five users experience a great deal of anxiety. Decrease in nausea (used medicinally for treatment of nausea). Laughter, sometimes uncontrollable. Sensory enhancement (colours, taste, sensation), increased appreciation of music, playful thought process, extremely fast thought processes (used by artists and writers for creativity), closed-eye visuals and distorted perception. Side effects may include forgetfulness (only for the duration of the high), laziness (only for the duration of the high) trouble with concentration (some users may experience enhanced concentration), paranoia, increased heart rate, dry mouth and throat, Increased appetite (munchies), may hallucinate (rare) and short term functional memory loss.
