Marijuana goes by any number of common names including weed, grass, pot, nuggets, kind-bud and the chronic. Although decriminalized in some counties, and legal when prescribed form medicinal use in some states, the U.S Federal Government considers marijuana possession, distribution and use illegal. This plant can be cultivated both indoors or out, and thrives in both soil and hydroponic growing mediums. The female plants produce the marijuana used for its psychoactive properties.
History
Marijuana was introduced to the United States in 1611 by Jamestown settlers who brought it to Virginia to cultivate for hemp. The cultivation of marijuana was legal until the after end of the Civil War. At that time, physicians and pharmacists prescribed it to treat a variety of health conditions. Marijuana was mentioned in the United States Pharmacopeia, a standard pharmaceutical reference, in 1850.
Use
To use marijuana, most people roll it into a cigarette or smoke it in a pipe. Mixing the marijuana with tobacco is another way to smoke it. You can also use it to brew tea. Sauteing loose marijuana in butter or oil and adding it to food is one of the ways to use marijuana without smoking it.
Users
According to data reported in the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, "37 percent of U.S. residents aged 12 and older used marijuana at least once in their lifetime." It went on to note that 20 percent of individuals age 12 to 17, and 50 percent of individuals age 18 to 25 used the drug at least once. High school students are apt to try marijuana. Almost half the seniors in the United States have admitted to trying it.
THC
Marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals. THC, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active constituent in marijuana that gets you high, according to the Phoenix House American Council for Drug Education (ACDE). The greater the amount of THC in the marijuana, the stronger it is. The amount of THC is determined by many factors including the strain, the weather, the soil, carbon dioxide levels and time of harvest. The ACDE notes marijuana sampled in 1974 contained less than one percent THC on average. Nowadays, expect marijuana to contain 7.5 to 24 percent THC.
Medical Marijuana
Backed by a statewide initiative passed by voters, the Medical Board of California approved the use of medical marijuana when prescribed by a physician in 1996. This regulation is called the Compassionate Use Act. However, medical marijuana is not legalized by the Federal Government. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recognize marijuana as a legitimate treatment for any symptom or medical condition.
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