Marijuana

Marijuana

Introduction

Marijuana can be considered as the most commonly used psychoactive drugs among all other drugs of its class. However, the possession and the use of marijuana are illegal in many countries it is still used on a regular basis by more than 50 million people around the world. Most number of people that use marijuana is found to be in America and Europe. In the past years many people have started to smoke marijuana on the basis of many diseases which include immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), multiple sclerosis, and a variety of other disabling diseases. The basis of using marijuana by these patients is because of their belief that marijuana makes the symptoms better apart from the health effects that marijuana causes.

Discussion

The Hemp Plant

The hemp plant which has its main origin in the region of Central is now distributed all around the world. The plant is cultivated as a multipurpose plant for more than thousands of years. It is also done through many processes which depend on different desired characteristics. Some grow the plant for the fiber content, and many for the occurrence of psychoactive chemicals in the plant. The different types of varieties are mainly known as single species. This was first named in the year of 1735 by a Swedish botanist, as Cannabis sativa. It is an annual plant which can reach its maturity level in 60 days if grown indoor through proper heat and light conditions. The normal maturity level of this plant in a natural environment is about 4 months. The characteristics of the plant mainly are the finely branched leaves which have an edge of a saw tooth. The stem of the plant may reach up to the height of 15 feet based on optimum conditions. A smaller species of this plant is known as Cannabis indica and was first describe by Lamark. Much activity for the growth of this plant is observed in Holland where its cultivation is legal. It is also being cultivated in California however, where its cultivation is illegal. The cultivation is done in order to create new type of varieties of the plant which have a high yield of the psychoactive chemical named delta 9 tetrahydrocannabional also known as (THC).

The breeding of the plants is not publically available but it uses the techniques which involve the treatment of cannabis seed with a chemical called colchicines. This is to cause the creation of polploid plants. These plants have different characteristics in which each of the cell have multiple number of chromosomes rather than a single one. These plants have extra vigor and contain an increased amount of THC. However, these plants are genetically unstable. Other type of varieties in the plant can also be obtained through crossing of cannabis indica strains with cannabis sativa. This also produces different type of hybrids. These types of strains create first generation seeds which have a hybrid vigor and an increased production of THC. The genetic strains are also transferred through vegative cutting through which one plant ...