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| Cannabis sativa Linnaeus see text |
Cannabis, is a genus of dioecious, annual herbs that belong to the family Cannabaceae. It has been cultivated for nearly 5000 years throughout the world for textile, industrial,
medical, and recreational use. Commonly known by a plethora of names, including pot, grass, green,
bud, ganja, reefer, marijuana, herb, chronic, chiba,
puff, and weed; cannabis is the world's most popular drug (among those prohibited by the law of most modern
societies).
| Contents |
Varieties of the plant grow in most climates. Cannabis cultivated for uses other than the psychoactive effects is known as hemp. Hemp is usually grown for its long, tough fiber for textile uses, such as canvas and rope. Its seeds, used in bird feed, are a valuable source of protein, energy, and long-chain fatty acids. Industrial hemp contains such slight amounts of THC that it is generally considered to be of no use for psychoactive purposes. This is especially so because of the compound cannabidiol (CDB) also present in industrial hemp which blocks the THC receptors in the human brain, making industrial hemp an effective "anti-marijuana". There are many other varieties of hemp plants as well. The inside of a cannabis seed contains no THC (or just traces of it), but Cannabis seed are very often inside a peel, which contains high amounts of THC, except those of the purely industrial hemp variety.
Containing mildly psychedelic and other psychoactive and physiologically active chemicals known as cannabinoids, the buds and leaves of cannabis are used recreationally and medicinally in many cultures; such a preparation is often referred to as marijuana and, today, is usually consumed orally or by inhalation in smoking or vaporization.
Concentrated preparations derived from THC-laden resin secreted from the plant are known as hashish. Historically, tinctures, teas, and ointments were also common preparations, especially medicinally.
The clan Cannabaceae was formerly placed with the nettles in the order Urticales, but is now in the order Rosales. There is phylogenetic controversy as to whether the cultivated varieties of the plant are of a single species (Cannabis sativa) or represent distinct species (such as those called Cannabis indica, Cannabis ruderalis, or Cannabis americana). All varieties of Cannabis contain psychoactive cannabinoids, in varying amounts.
Cannabis reproduces sexually. The female plant forms racemes, (usually referred to as buds in Cannabis) which can produce hundreds of seeds. Males reach sexual maturity several weeks prior to females. Although a gene disposes a plant to become male, environmental factors, including the diurnal light cycle, can alter the sex. Natural hermaphrodites, with both male and female parts, are usually sterile but artificially induced hermaphrodites can have fully functional reproductive organs. 'Feminized' seed sold by many commercial seed suppliers are derived from artificially hermaphrodytic females that lack the male gene or by treating the seeds with hormones.
Cannabis uses C4 photosynthesis, so is not dependent upon a night cycle for carbon dioxide absorption. A cannabis plant in the vegetative growth phase of its life cycle can thrive under twenty-four hour daylight conditions, although some growers advocate a small rest period to avoid overstressing the plant. Flowering usually occurs when darkness exceeds eleven hours per day and can take up to six weeks.
In soil, the optimum pH for the plant is 5.8 to 6.5. In hydroponic growing, the nutrient solution is best at 5.5 to 6.1, making cannabis well-suited to hydroponics because most bacteria and fungi have difficulty growing in this pH range.
There are broadly three groups of cannabis varieties being cultivated today:
Botanists have been at odds since the 16th century over whether cannabis consists of only one species (Cannabis sativa) or more than one species. That there are different strains of cannabis has not been in question; whether these strains possess qualities of a true species or lesser taxonomic designations, such as races, ecotypes, cultivates, chemovars, and so on, has been at issue (Schultes and Hofmann 1980). Current research indicates the classification consists of more than one species. Botanists such as Richard E. Schultes at Harvard University and Loran C. Anderson at Florida State University conclude sufficient scientific evidence exists to support three species of cannabis: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. C. sativa grows to a height of 18 feet (6 metres), is loosely branched, and thrives in cool, damp climates. C. indica grows from 3.5 to 4 feet (1.3 metres), is conical in shape, and thrives in hot, dry climates. C. ruderalis grows from 1 to 2.5 feet (0.4 to 0.7 m), is dense and never branches, and is found primarily in Russia. There are other distinguishing features as well, related to cell and leaf structures. There are gelatinous fibers in the wood and vessels that exist singly or in small groups in C. sativa. C. indica has liberiform fibers in its wood and its vessels occur in large groups. C. ruderalis is mostly intermediate in these characteristics. Although the number of leaflets may vary within a species, C. sativa normally has seven leaflets, C. indica has nine , and C. ruderalis has three. The leaflet of C. sativa is narrow, or lanceolate. The C. indica leaflet is broad, or oblanceolate. And the C. ruderalis leaflet is oval, or elliptic, being broadest at the mid-length of the leaf (Anderson 1974, 1980). All three species contain THC; C.indica produces the most and C. ruderalis the least. Cannabis has been cultivated for thousands of years for its intoxicating flowering tops and leaves, its fibrous stems and branches, and its nutritious seeds. A strain that is high in one of these three qualities tends to be low in the other two. C. indica, for example, is very low in fiber content but generates the most potent marijuana. C. sativa produces the hemp fibers that have been used for centuries for making rope and coarse woven produces, but races of C. sativa high in this quality contain very little THC (less than 0.5 percent). The seeds of C. sativa can also be harvested for use as animal feed and for producing oil that is used in cooking and in making paint.
Although the main psychoactive substance in cannabis is THC, the plant contains about 60 cannabinoids in total, including two others of particularly high concentration, cannabinol (CBN) and cannabidiol (CBD). Differences in the chemical composition of cannabis varieties can produce very different human reactions, and the complexity of the composition of the plant is one reason why its effects can differ from that of the synthetic version of THC, dronabinol; a product which is prescribed under the trade name Marinol as an appetite stimulant and ocular pressure reducing agent.
Although the potency of most cannabis varieties is uncertain, most cannabis contains below 8% THC. Selective breeding has produced varieties of up to 25% THC content. With varieties containing below 2-3% THC, such as those specifically cultivated for usage as hemp, smoking produces lightheadedness or a mild headache. The THC content is also affected by the sex of the plant, with female plants generating significantly more resin than their male counterparts. Seedless varieties derived from unpollinated female plants, with high THC content, traditionally known as sinsemilla (Spanish: "without seed"). Various street names exist for smokable cannabis, many attempting to indicate potency or otherwise describe the product.
More scientific study is necessary to gain a complete understanding of the cannabinoid system. We do know that high relative concentrations of these chemicals significantly modifies the effects of the plant. THC is associated with an energetic, cerebral high, while CBD is associated with a relaxed, more drowsy high. CBN is not fully understood at this point, but high concentrations usually have hallucinogenic effects.
Because THC breaks down into CBN as buds mature, the time of harvest can significantly modify the effects of the plant. Because many commercial process growers often wait until the buds fully mature to ensure maximum weight, low-grade cannabis is usually high in CBD with relatively low THC content. This seems to explain the common 'head high' association with premium quality product, and 'body high' associations with lower grades.
Acute effects of marijuana consumption vary greatly by individual and by the qualities of particular varieties, but for the general population usually include some or all of the following:
The effects of the cannabis plant vary according to the individual ("set"), the environment ("setting"), the variety of plant, and the method of use. Smoking may pose the greatest risk to physical health, but is reduced by using water pipes. Ingesting cannabis or vaporizing the cannabinoids from the plant are other methods of consumption.
THC has an effect on the modulation of the immune system which may have an effect on malignant cells, but there is insufficient scientific study to determine whether this might promote or limit cancer. Cannabinoid receptors are also present in the human reproductive system, but there is insufficient scientific study to conclusively determine the effects of cannabis on reproduction. Mild allergies to cannabis may be possible in some members of the population.
No fatal overdose due to cannabis use has ever been recorded in humans. According to the Merck Index, 12th edition, the LD50, the lethal dose for 50% of tested rats, was 42 milligrams per kilogram of body weight when inhaled (these tests use forced inhalation). As for oral consumption, the LD50 for rats was 1270 mg/kg and 730 mg/kg for males and females, respectively. It would be impossible for THC in blood plasma to reach such a level in human cannabis smokers. Only with intravenous administration, a method rarely or never used by humans, may such a level be possible. Moreover, some evidence suggests that toxic levels may be higher for humans than for rats.
Although it may become habitual, the use of cannabis does not result in physical dependence. Ceasing the use of marijuana causes withdrawal relative to the amount consumed. The cessation of habitual marijuana use may result in craving, anxiety, irritability, or diminished appetite. It is difficult to establish just what amount of consumption triggers withdrawal type effects; they vary with the physical nature of the person. The first few nights a person spends asleep without being affected by cannabis are likely to include intense, vivid dreams that are likely to be remembered. There is some evidence that correlates long-term use with depression and aggravation of pre-existing mental conditions; the precise relationship between depression and marijuana has not been determined, though there is some preliminary research on this. Since marijuana is primarily a hallucinogenic drug, its withdrawal should never be confused with depressant drugs (e.g. alcohol, heroin) or stimulant drugs (e.g. cocaine, methamphetamine).
Cannabis use causes significant medium-term decreases in cognitive performance, but intelligence and cognition generally return to normal within a month (usually less) of abstinence.
There is little decisive scientific evidence about long-term psychological, neurological, and cognitive effects of cannabis use. Many old studies which purported to demonstrate that cannabis causes serious brain damage and other serious ailments were deeply flawed, with strong bias and poor methodology. A big part of this problem is the difficulty in finding a group of long-term experiment participants who only use marijuana, and no other drugs - not even nicotine, caffeine or alcohol.
A WHO-review of a large number of studies found that cannabis does not produce the serious long-term cognitive impairment that the older studies founds. However, it does note that long-term, heavy-use may have measurable effects on cognition that appear to be persistent even after longer periods of abstinence. While subtle, the WHO notes that these effects may be significant to people with occupations requring high levels of cognitive capacity. It remains to be seen if extended periods of abstinence can reverse the observed impairment.
There is a correlation between cannabis use and mental illnesses like psychosis and schizophrenia. This in itself does not mean that there is a causal relationship; the physiological effects of cannabis indicate the likelihood of persons with such diseases using cannabis to alleviate such diseases and their symptoms. Also, rather than causing these illnesses, cannabis may trigger latent conditions or be part of a complex coordination of causes. Recent research indicates that there may in fact be a causal relationship, however, more studies are needed to determine this with certainty.
Some older studies had found that cannabis may cause an amotivational syndrome in young people who consume cannabis with high frequency and for a long period of time. This syndrome was said to persist for up to a year. Such findings were later debunked and are generally not propogated in the modern scientific community.
Many claims of the dangers of marijuana use are often called into question due the common practice among researchers to not include data as to whether or not other psychoactive substances were also being consumed. For example, auto accidents attributed to marijuana have commonly been found to have also been influenced by alcohol consumption. No data is currently published regarding accidents in which the presence of marijuana only was detected. Such statistics are also complicated by the fact that the cannabis metabolites tested for persist in the body, especially fatty tissue, for up to a month, long after the psychoactive effects have dissipated.
More scientific study is necessary to determine the long term physical and physiological effects of smoking cannabis. Because of the creation of toxic chemicals and carcinogens during combustion, cannabis smoke may in some ways be as unhealthy as tobacco smoke, although it does not contain the notorious carcinogen nicotine. In addition, many cannabis smokers inhale the smoke deeper into their lungs than do tobacco smokers, hold the inhalation for a greater length of time, and typically do so without a filter. However, the average cannabis user generally smokes far less than the average tobacco user. Also, most cannabis is free of certain impurities and radioactivity that are present in most tobacco products. While many studies show that tobacco smoking causes lung cancer, no studies have shown a correlation between cannabis use and lung cancer.
While anecdotal evidence has shown no long term serious adverse effects from cannabis consumption, there is limited modern scientific research into this subject.
Main article: medical marijuana
Medically, cannabis is most often used as an appetite stimulant and pain reliever for certain terminal illnesses such as cancer and AIDS. Also, it is used to relieve glaucoma and certain neurological illnesses such as epilepsy and bipolar disorder. The medical use of cannabis is politically controversial, however it is often recommended informally (44% of surveyed US oncologists report recommending it to their patients for the palliation of nausea during chemotherapy). It is rarely prescribed by physicians due to its legal status, though 48% of the oncologists would prescribe it if it were legal (Doblin RE, Kleiman MA. Marijuana as antiemetic medicine: a survey of oncologists' experiences and attitudes. J Clin Oncol 1991 Jul;9(7):1314-9).
Synthetic THC sold under the brand name of Marinol is often prescribed as a cannabis substitute, coming in the form of round gelcaps with an oily substance containing dronabinol in a range of 2.5mg to 10mg doses, though patients' reports indicate it is not as effective as smoked or ingested plant material. See the section on History for information on historic and other medical use.
Recent research into the treatment of brain tumors is showing considerable success
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3561686.stm
the research is available here http://www.kubby.com/Guzman-Cancer-nrc1188.pdf
Cannabis is prepared for human consumption to several forms:
Heat must be applied to all cannabis or cannabis products if intoxication or medical use is intended, as it was discovered in 1970 that cannabis makes THC acid, a precursor turned into THC through heat, the "perfect" temperature being 100 degrees Celsius for 90 minutes (Cannabis Health Journal, p.15). Hashish is also boiled or steamed during preparation.
Cannabis is mostly smoked in one of three ways:
1.in joints (or spliffs), in which cannabis and perhaps other ingredients such as tobacco are rolled up into a paper or other binder and smoked like a cigarette. Variations include blunts, in which a cheap cigar (often a Philly Blunt or Dutchmaster) is unrolled, the tobacco removed, and rerolled enclosing the marijuana.
2. in a pipe. any type of pipe may be used, although the high heating temperature of most cannabis forms should be noted because in some materials, such as briar (which is what most tobacco pipes are made from), cracking or over-heating may occur and wood is slightly more difficult to clean. Metal pipes are popular, as they are very easy to clean (simple rubbing alchohol, 90% if available), but they can also get hot to the touch. Most white pipes you see in shops are Meerschaum, which color beautifully in rich golden hues as they are smoked and resin works its color through the pipe, although they can be fragile and some smaller models are often crushed meerschaum molded back together. Many traditional Native American pipes, and other pipes of bone or clay can also be found in use.
3. in a water-pipe, or bong.
The word bong is either a variant of bhang, an African Pygmy word for cannabis, or comes from Thai "baung", which is a bamboo waterpipe used to smoke cannabis and opium all over Southeast Asia.
There are again many, many variations on these, but the most common function is to provide water and/or air chamber to cool and/or filter the smoke, and commonly provide more smoke than through a joint or a pipe. Most commonly a bong contains a bowl to contain the cannabis, connected to a shaft or tube. This shaft passes through the bong (sealed tightly) into the water in the bong. When the opening of the bong is inhaled upon, it creates a pressure through the water to force the smoke from the bowl down through the shaft, through the water and to the mouth.
Often as the smoke leaves the water it is collected into the chamber of the bong, and then vacated quickly with the introduction of air. Air is introduced to clear the chamber in one of two ways: a hole in the bong (also known as the rush, carburator or carb) which is held closed with the finger while inhaling and released after the chamber is full, or the bowl itself lifts off of the shaft so that the air is pulled down the same shaft as the smoke. Other variations on the bong theme are hookas, gravity bongs, and knife hits.
A gravity bong is a common home made device, although the force and volume of smoke can cause very adverse reactions for the unwary. The gravity bong is a milk jug or soda bottle with the bottom cut out (not entirely, to prevent collapse) and a bowl sealed into a hole in the cap. It is lowered (uncapped) into a tub or bucket of water, then the cap with the bowl full of cannabis is put on top and closed. As the bottle is slowly pulled from the water, the bowl is lit and the smoke is drawn by pressure into the bong. When full, the cap is carefully removed and the inhaler inhales while pushing the bong back into the water, forcing the smoke out. This is unfiltered and can cause lung damage if too much smoke and force are used. "Knife hits", which are when metal knives are heated, often by being stuck in the burner of a stove top and then pressed together with bud or hash between them. The smoke is cooled through a device, commonly a plastic soda bottle with the bottom cut off, poked with holes, and pushed stuck back into the soda bottle, filled with ice, upside down, one inhaling through the pre-existing opening.
Cannabis ingested from smoking can have several slang terms, including "taking a hit", a "toke", "smoking a bowl", "bong rip", "pull" (from a bong), etc.
Cannabis may also be orally ingested by blending it with alcohol or fats, which must be done as it is not water soluble, and requires the application of heat. The immediate effects are significantly reduced if it is so blended, but the intoxication may last for a longer duration and be heightened. The effects of ingested cannabis are usually not recognized for at least thirty minutes (frequently longer), making it harder for users to regulate (titrate) their dosage. The "high" is also different from smoking, being more of a physical or "body high". Butter preparations are included in foods, commonly cookies and brownies (see space cake and Leary biscuit). A drink popular in India, called bhang, includes milk and flavoring herbs (e.g: cloves or cinnamon). Times given for cooking cannabis in butter or margarine (possibly with water) range from simmering for 15 minutes (butter/margarine) to 12 hours (butter/margarine with water, ibid, p.17). See also hashish and hashish oil.
The seeds of the hemp plant are also eaten and roasted, as well as being used to make hemp seed oil. A few restaurants that specialize in food with hemp seeds have opened, and appeal mostly to a countercultural clientele. Hemp seeds contain little THC.
Another method of consumption is vaporization. Vaporization allows the cannabis resins (THC and other cannabinoids) to be extracted into a vapor by heating without burning the plant material. This is advantageous because most of the toxic chemicals found in cannabis and tobacco smoke are byproducts of the combustion process. When cannabis is heated to about 190°C (374°F), its resins are released into an unburnt vapor which can be inhaled.
Laurence McKinney and Harvey Levine (of Toast-r-Oven, the Shick hair dryer, and later the first vaporizer, called the Tilt, fame) developed a device call the Maximizer, an automatic self-timed decarboxylator which uses boiling water as a timer. (ibid., p.15)
Cannabis: bud, brown frown (low quality), buddha, cess, chiba or cheeba, chronic*, dagga (from Afrikaans via South Africa), dak, dank, devils lettuce, dope, doobage, dosier, doob, draw, dro (derived from hydroponics), electric puha (from puha, a plant in New Zealand), frodis (from The Monkees), funk, ganja, grass, green, happiness, hash, hay, herb, indo, instaga, IZM, kind/kind bud (KB/killer bud, 'the kind' -- possibly from 'finest kind', KGB from killer green bud, good quality), shwag (poor quality, opposed to kind), leaf, marigolds, Mary Jane, Mexican dirt weed (poor quality, usu. due to method of importation from Mexico), mids (middle quality), nugget, nug, pakalolo, punk (skunk), pot, reefer, regs (regular/low quality), schwag/stress (low quality), wildwood weed, sensemilla, sensi, soap bar/poo bar (low quality resin), skunk, sticky-icky-icky, tea, tree, wacky tobacky, molta, weed, in Spanish = bareta, mariajuana, hierba, chiruza, zol, mota, mois,hippy grass, polo.
Cigarette: beedie, bifta, binge, blunt (cigar papers), bomb, bomber, doobie, fatty, grifo, hooter, J, jacob, joint, L (blunt/cigar papers), Left handed cigarette, muggle, reefer, rope, skiffer, spliff, zoot, roach, porro, kenki, bob marley, king side.
Reefer was common in the early twentieth century, but it is now oftenly used only humorously, often in reference to the 1930s propaganda film Reefer Madness, which significantly overstated -- to the point of campiness -- the effects of cannabis.
Intoxication: baked, bent, blasted, blazed, blitzed, blizzazed, blizzonged, blown out, blowed, buzzed, chinky eyed (offensive), faded, fucked up, gone, goofed, high, keyed, lean (UK), lit, lifted, mad blazed, mashed, monged (UK), mullered (UK), ripped, smashed, spaced, spaced out, stoned, throwed, toasted, wasted, wrecked, zonked, zooted, kaned.
To smoke: bake, puff, blaze, bong out, (from bong, derived from bhang, a pygmy word for cannabis) burn, burn one down (to smoke a joint, popularized in the Ben Harper song) cheef, chong (from Cheech and Chong), light up, sesh (from session), toke (up), smoke up/down/out ("to smoke someone up/down/out"), safety meeting, prendalo loko!!
Smoking locations: hotbox.
Cannabis Users: pothead, hesher, stoner, leano (UK), waistoid, weedhead, toker, caner, goofball, troncho, turro, parcero, marihuanero, turco, ojo rojo, seco, normal people.
Early twentieth century: mez, muggles, gage, viper jive.
Potent strains: White widow (light green-white in appearance), Buddha, C99, AK-47 (C. sativa/C. indica cross), Bubblegum (very sticky), JuicyFruit, Orange Bud and Blueberry (plant smells or tastes somewhat like its name); G-13 (A mythical, primarilly indica phenotype); BC Bud (from British Columbia, Canada); Thunderfuck, White Kookamunga, Northern-lights (these two natives of northern provinces), purple haze, kush, Thai or Thai stick (the legitimate product is C. sativa from Thailand or US Grown of Thai seed, the buds being long and treelike in appearance, often with string wrapped in a spiral pattern for the purpose of holding the bud together); Maui Wowie (from Hawai'i); Acapulco Gold. The term Thai stick is also used for imitation marijuana.
Vending establishment: tinnie house (from the "tinnie", a retail package in tinfoil), bodega, head shop (paraphernalia)
The meaning of each of these terms may vary by region and context.
It should be noted that, in part due to Cannabis prohibition, false information about origin and potency is perpetuated by dishonest sellers to boost sales or justify high prices.
The use of cannabis, for food, fibers, and medicine, is thought to go back at least five millennia. Neolithic archaeological sites in China include cannabis seeds and plants. The first known mention of cannabis is in a Chinese medical text of 2737 BCE. It was used as medicine throughout Asia and the Middle East to treat a variety of conditions. In India particularly, cannabis was associated with Shiva.
Cannabis was well known to the Scythians. Germans grew hemp for its fibers to make nautical ropes and material for clothes since ancient times. Large fields of hemp along the banks of the Rhine are featured in 19th century copper etchings.
American pioneers depended on hemp for clothes, canvas, rope, oil, food, and many other things. The plant was so important that Thomas Jefferson, as governor of Virginia, required every farmer in the state to plant hemp for the good of the economy and citizens' survival. In 1791, the cotton gin was invented and cotton began to replace hemp for clothing in the U.S. Cannabis was used medicinally in the western world (usually as a tincture) around the middle of the 19th century. It was famously used to treat Queen Victoria's menstrual pains, and was available from shops in the US. By the end of the 19th century its medicinal use began to fall as other drugs such as aspirin took over.
Until 1937, consumption and sale of marijuana was legal in most American states. In some areas it could be openly purchased in bulk from grocers or in cigarette form at newstands, though an increasing number of states had begun to outlaw it. In that year, federal law made possession or transfer of marijuana (without the purchase of a by-then incriminating tax stamp) illegal throughout the United States. This was contrary to the advice of the American Medical Association at the time. Legal opinions of time held that the federal government could not outlaw it entirely. The tax was $100 per pound of hemp, even for clothes or rope. The expense, extremely high for that time, was such that people stopped buying and making it.
The decision of the U.S. Congress was based in part on testimony derived from articles in the newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst, who was heavily interested in DuPont Inc. Some analysts theorize DuPont wanted to boost declining post-war textile sales, and wished to eliminate hemp fiber as competition. Many argue that this seems unlikely given DuPont's lack of concern with the legal status of cotton, wool, and linen; although it should be noted that hemp's textile potential had not yet been largely exploited, while textile factories already had made large investments in equipment to handle cotton, wool, and linen. Others argue that Dupont wanted to eliminate cannabis because its high natural cellulose content made it a viable alternative to the company's developing innovation: modern plastic. Still, others could argue that hemp could never truly compete with high-strength an elasticity synthetics, such as nylon.
Even more inflammatory and biased were the accusations by that period's US 'drug czar' Henry (Harry) Anslinger. Anslinger charged that the drug provoked murderous rampages in previously solid citizens. Anslinger testified that cannabis "makes darkies feel equal to white men," a complaint typical of much of the racist anti-drug rhetoric of the time, which for example emphasised opium's role in promoting Anglo-Chinese miscegenation. He told the married men in the audience: "Gentlemen, it will make your wives want to have sex with a Black man!" Anslinger also popularized the word marihuana for the plant, using a Mexican derived word (believed to be derived from a Brazilian Portuguese term for inebriation) in order to associate the plant with increasing numbers of Mexican immigrants, creating a negative stereotype which persists to this day.
The 1937 federal marijuana tax act was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1969. In a case brought by Timothy Leary, the Court held that the law's requirement that a possessor of marijuana present the substance before receiving the stamp, thereby placing the possessor in violation of the law against unlicensed possession, violated the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act made possession of marijuana illegal again, without the constitutional issues that scuttled the 1937 act.
G13 is the alleged codename for a strain of marijuana, supposedly developed by several U.S government agencies during the 1960's. According to myth, the CIA, FBI, and other agencies procured the best strains of marijuana from breeders all over the world. At a secret installation in Mississippi, they bred many new hybrids. Putting these together, they created a strain that was more powerfully intoxicating than any of the original hybrids. This strain, G13, was a primarily indica phenotype strain and provided a very potent smoke and a completely mellow high. Allegedly a single cutting of this potent strain was stolen by an employee at this government facility and released into the public domain. This is of course a myth used by dealers to sell product, or seed banks to sell seeds. Some modern breeders claim to have strains which are descendents of the original G13 strain. While this is most likely not true, chances are the strain they are selling is much more potent than anything produced 30 years ago. To date, no government agency or independent verification of this strain has been released. Other rumors say G13 was developed by the University of Washington's cannabis-testing-facility in the 1970's for medical testing, but this, too, has not been verified. This strain was featured in American Beauty, a movie. In the movie a young dealer hands a bag of what looks to be about an eighth (1/8 of an ounce, commonly 3.5 grams) to another character saying, "This shit is G13. It was genetically engineered by the government. It's incredibly potent, but a super-mellow high. No paranoia", then charges him $2000. This bogus line is responsible for a boost in the strain myth's popularity.
Cannabis has a prominent role in the Rastafarian and THC Ministry religion.
Although cannabis has been used recreationally throughout its history, it first became well known in the United States during the jazz music scene of the late 1920s and 30s. Louis Armstrong became one of its most prominent and life-long devotees. Cannabis use was also a prominent part of 1960s counterculture.
Cannabis is currently the most widely used illegal drug in the world.
Note that these sites may contain misleading statements.
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