Cannabis

Cannabis is also known as marijuana, draw, blow, weed, puff, shit, hash, ganja, spliff, brown, dope, gear, green, pot and solids. It can be eaten or rolled with (or without) tobacco into a cigarette and smoked.

From

Cannabis is a natural substance from a plant commonly called hemp (cannabis sativa). The plant can be found growing wild all over the world and it is easily cultivated in the UK. It contains chemicals called cannabinoids, including delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is believed to be responsible for most of the drug's psychoactive effects. The first recorded use of cannabis was in 2700 BC as a medicine in China. The first archaeological remains of cannabis in England date back to 400 AD where evidence suggests that it was cultivated at Old Buckenham Mere. In 1563, under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, it was law that if you owned more than 60 acres of land, some of it had to be set aside to grow cannabis, or you would be fined five pounds. Recreational use of cannabis was first prohibited in England in 1928.

Chemistry

When users smoke cannabis the THC is absorbed into the blood stream, which takes it from the lungs to the heart and then the brain. THC mimics the actions of receptors in the brain called neurotransmitters and interferes with normal functions. It stimulates brain receptors in the frontal cortex, enabling users to experience heightened senses and a general feeling of relaxation. (New Scientist picture). The cannabinoids in cannabis also block some of the electrical signals in the brain, interfering with the short-term memory and co-ordination of the users, while endo-cannabinoids bind with brain receptors to increase hunger (and bring on the munchies).

Production

Cannabis is a tobacco-like substance produced by drying the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant. As the unfertilised female flowers mature they continually secrete resin which coats the flowers and small leaves surrounding them. Hashish is produced when the resin is separated from the plant material while 'grass' is made from the dried and chopped leafy parts of the plant.