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Marijuana leaf by Kimzy Nanney from Unsplash
10 Fast Facts About Marijuana
In the Netherlands, you can enjoy your marijuana in a coffee shop. Canada permits the possession of cannabis to those 18 years and above up to about 30 grams in public. To add on, you can buy marijuana from licensed retailers and producers. Better still, you can grow a few plants at home.
Jamaica allows marijuana for medical and religious purposes. So Rastafarians can have ‘Ganja’ in unlimited portions. Colombia permits you to grow several marijuana plants for personal use yet the selling of it is illegal.
Moreover, in Spain, you can enter smoking clubs to light up. Many countries have embraced the use of marijuana by legalizing it for medical or recreational purposes.
Additionally, the regulation of marijuana is a raging debate that never ends. Marijuana advocates champion its legalization, while critics are opposed to its side effects. Read on for more insights on marijuana.
Here are 10 Fast Facts About Marijuana.
1. Marijuana tops in the world’s illicit drug usage
Marijuana plant by Rick Proctor from Unsplash
The World Drug Report 2019 reported 188 million users of Cannabis. The report was released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Furthermore, the UNODC World Drug Report 2021 recorded that there were over 275 million drug users worldwide. Hence these figures establish Marijuana as the most commonly used illicit drug in the world.
Check out Facts About Cocaine.
2. Marijuana came from a Mexican Spanish word
The word Marijuana has its origin in Mexico, though the exact derivative of the word in the Mexican region is unknown. There are suggestions by different scholars like Martin Booth but there are no exact records for the same.
Booth noted in his book, Cannabis: A History that the word may have come from an Aztec language. He adds that it may have come from the soldiers’ slang for “brothel” which is Maria y Juana.
Besides the uncertainty on the specific origin of the word, most scholars agree that “marijuana” hails from the Mexican Spanish word “marihuana” or “marihuana,” The word was popularized in the early 20th century to associate the drug with Mexican immigrants.
3. It is also cannabis
This psychoactive drug is also called cannabis because it is made from the Cannabis plant. Further, it contains over 100 different cannabinoids (chemical compounds).
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD (cannabidiol) are the common cannabinoids in Marijuana. There are also other lesser-known cannabinoids such as CBN (cannabinol) and CBG (cannabigerol). Each of the cannabinoids has its unique effects.
4. Marijuana has its treats
Photo by Enecta Cannabis extracts from Unsplash
CBD in Marijuana is non-psychoactive and hence is used for therapeutic benefits. There is no scientific proof to support the usage but a prescribed form of CBD is used to treat different conditions such as epilepsy, chronic pain, anxiety, and more.
5. Then its downside
The main mind-altering (psychoactive) substance in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This compound is mainly produced by the leaves and buds of the female cannabis plant.
Over and above that, THC is responsible for the euphoric and mind-altering effects. Its short-term effects include altered senses such as seeing brighter colors, impaired memory, and altered sense of time. Mood changes and difficulty with thinking are other short-term effects of marijuana.
According to NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse), the long-term mental effects of marijuana are temporary hallucinations and paranoia. It can also worsen the condition of patients suffering from schizophrenia (a mental disorder).
NIDA records show that marijuana can cause physical effects in the long term. Such as breathing challenges, increased heart rate, intense nausea, and vomiting. It can also tamper with the development of a child during and after pregnancy if consumed by an expectant mother.
Discover Alarming Facts About Heroin.
6. Marijuana can be consumed in various ways
Smoking weed out of a bong by Elsa Olofsson from Unsplash
Smoking is the most common way to consume marijuana but there are many more ways. Vaping, oral ingestion through edibles, and gravity bongs are other ways to consume marijuana. Gravity bongs involve smoking marijuana using common household items.
The other method of consuming marijuana is Dabbing which is similar to vaping. Dabbing is different from vaping in that it uses tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) resins extracted from the plant.
Tinctures are the other way to take marijuana. They are liquids extracted from marijuana plants and mixed with other liquids such as alcohol or water. Users place a few drops of the solution under the tongue and are absorbed into the bloodstream quickly.
Marijuana for medical reasons is used as Sprays or through topical methods. Topical oils which are extracted from the marijuana plant are thicker than edible oils. Hence they are applied on the skin to relieve muscle pain and soreness.
7. Marijuana is legal in several countries
The legalization of marijuana is throughout the world a crucial social and political issue. Even so, marijuana has been legalized for medical or recreational purposes in different countries around the world.
As of 2023 reports, marijuana for recreational use has been legalized in over 20 states in the U.S. While over 37 states have embraced marijuana for medical purposes.
Countries like Canada, Uruguay, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Jamaica have legalized the use of marijuana for different reasons. Restrictions surrounding the legalization of marijuana vary by jurisdiction.
8. The marijuana plant is either female or male
Marijuana plant by Crystal Weed from Unsplash
Cannabis is a unisexual flowering plant. Unisexual means that the males and females are distinct plants. Thus no hermaphrodites though there are a few cases documented about hermaphrodites in marijuana. The plant germinates from a seed, attains sexual maturity, reproduces, and dies within one year when growing in the wild.
When cannabis is grown for commercial purposes, the plants are all genetically female. The male plants are destroyed because the formation of seeds reduces the quality of the flower.
9. Medical experts have used cannabis for thousands of years
The first case of the medical use of marijuana was in China and it dates to 2737 BC. Henceforth, marijuana has been used to treat different conditions.
Though there is no scientific proof for the use of marijuana for medical purposes, it is used nonetheless. A prescribed form of CBD is used on epileptic patients and for chronic diseases.CBD is also used to calm anxiety, pain, dystonia (muscle disorder), and Parkinson’s disease.
10. Marijuana effects depend on various factors
The effects brought out by the use of marijuana vary based on factors like strain, dose, and method of consumption. Hence because of these factors, users suffer different impacts from the use of cannabis. Marijuana can bring forth short-term and long-term effects on physical and mental health as discussed earlier.
Here are extra facts about Marijuana
11. Marijuana usage during pregnancy can be damaging to a fetus and cause later developmental problems in children.
12. Marijuana can lead to adverse reactions upon interaction with other medications.
13. Marijuana has the potential to impair driving ability thus increasing the risk of accidents.
14. Frequent use of marijuana can lead to dependency on the drug hence addiction.
15. The use of marijuana by young people such as adolescents can affect their brain development and pose the risk of increased mental health disorders.
That is our round-up of the 10 Fast Facts About Marijuana.
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