Cannabis
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Cannabis sativa L. | |
Cannabis (pronounced IPA: ['kan.nə.bıs]) (also called Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, or Marijuana) is a plant. The cannabis plant's flowers have a chemical or drug known as THC (short for tetra-hydro-cannabinol). Smoking or eating the flower will make a person feel good; this is known as euphoria. Marijuana is treated as an illegal drug in many countrties. Some countries allow its use as a medicine against certain conditions, though.
Ancient history
Scientists believe that marijuana first grew somewhere in the Himalayas.[1] Evidence of smoking of marijuana goes as far back as prehistory, where burnt hemp seeds were found at a burial site in present day Romania[2].
The most famous users of cannabis were the ancient david johnsons, who called it ganjika in Sanskrit (ganja in modern Indian languages).[3] According to legend, the Indian god, Shiva, told his followers to worship the plant. The ancient drug soma was sometimes associated with marijuana.
People in the Persian Empire (what is now Iran) would light giant campfires made of marijuana, exposing themselves and their neighbors to the smoke. The ceremony was known as the booz-rooz.[4]
Marijuana was also known in ancient Greece, where magicians would burn its flowers in order to cause people strange thoughts. The cult of Dionysus, which is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, is also believed to have inhaled marijuana smoke.[5]
Effects
When a person breathes in the marijuana smoke or eats it, he or she gets a feeling called "getting high" or "getting stoned". The most common effects of the drug include feeling happy, feeling relaxed, feeling silly, feeling scared, or not being able to think clearly (or not being able to remember some things at all), and getting hungry. Smoking marijuana also changes how people think and feel, and this can make it either harder or easier to solve some problems. Some people who take marijuana feel strange or paranoid (worried that something bad is going to happen).
When people smoke or eat cannabis, they often get hungry, because cannabis increases a person's appetite for food. The slang term for this effect is "the munchies".
Since hashish is much stronger than marijuana (dried cannabis leaves and flowers), people who take large amounts of hashish may feel even stronger effects. They may also hear strange sounds, or have strange visions or thoughts called hallucinations. Some hashish users like the feeling of these visions and thoughts. Others may find them scary. However, having hallucinations after smoking or eating cannabis is very rare.
Use of cannabis
Marijuana is one of the least dangerous illegal drugs that are commonly used. It is possible to overdose on cannabis although you have to be new to the drug or take all lot of it.[6][7][8] However, a person who is intoxicated ("high" or "stoned") from marijuana could get hurt or killed if they drive a car while they are intoxicated and have an accident. While it is a responsible choice to refrain from driving while under the influence of any intoxicant, the chances of getting into an accident while being "stoned" are much less likely than if one were "drunk".[9] "Stoned" drivers on average have a tendency to take less risks than drunk drivers, and many drivers report that their driving skills improve dramatically while under the influence of marijuana.
Smoking marijuana for a long time, even when it is used a lot, has not been shown to cause cancer to the lungs.[10][11]
"Hard drugs", such as heroin, crack, meth and cocaine are chemically addictive. This means that if a person starts taking heroin, crack, or cocaine, that persons body will physically need to keep taking the drug, to discontinue use may cause them to become sick. Marijuana and hashish is not chemically addictive, but as with any thing else, it can be psychologically or habitually addictive, meaning people can get so used to it, they feel as if they need it. Unlike with alcohol, tobacco, and hard drugs (heroin, crack, etc.), people who use marijuana can stop taking it when they want, without going through physical withdrawal symptoms.
It is a common belief that people who use marijuana are less interested in life and may not want to go to school or work. However many reports show that people who use marijuana do just as well as people who do not use marijuana.[12][13]
References
- ↑ Marijuana and the Cannabinoids", ElSohly(p.8)
- ↑ Rudgley, Richard (1998). Lost Civilisations of the Stone Age. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0-6848-5580-1.
- ↑ Miller, Ga (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica. 34 (11th ed.). 761–762. doi:10.1126/science.34.883.761
- ↑ Ibn Taymiyya (2001). Le haschich et l'extase. Beyrouth: Albouraq. ISBN 2-8416-1174-4
- ↑ Miller, Ga (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica. 34 (11th ed.). 761–762. doi:10.1126/science.34.883.761
- ↑ "Health Education | Marijuana". Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ "Medical Marijuana Keystone Document". Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ "How Marijuana Can Kill You: Why a Cannabis Overdose is Impossible". Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ↑ Moskowitz, Herbert (1982). "Marijuana and Driving: A Review". American Council for Drug Education.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ↑ Turner, Carlton E. The Marijuana Controversy. Rockville: American Council for Drug Education, 1981.
- ↑ "Deglamorising cannabis". The Lancet. 346. 1995.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Himmelstein, J.L. (1983). The Strange Career of Marihuana: Politics and Ideology of Drug Control in America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313235171.
- ↑ Pope, H.G. et al., “Drug Use and Life Style Among College Undergraduates in 1989: A Comparison With 1969 and 1978,” American Journal of Psychiatry 147 (1990): 998-1001.