Marijuana: 10 Facts To Clear Up the Smoke

I don’t smoke (or eat) marijuana. But a lot of people do. And with the changing legal landscape, everyone is talking about it, leading to all sorts of confusion. Hopefully, these ten facts will help weed out the noise.

 

1

When people refer to marijuana, they’re typically referring to the leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the cannabis plant, which is indigenous to Asia but has found a home all over the world. You might hear about different species—in particular Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica—but with all the mating that has occurred over time, it’s unclear if such categories really apply at the DNA level.

Similarly, the massive number of strains are based more on appearance, perceived effects, and marketing than actual DNA sequences.

 

2

The cannabis plant contains key compounds called cannabinoids, with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) getting the most love. Other compounds called terpenoids are also in the mix, but we’ll gloss over those for the sake of brevity.

 

3

THC is an intoxicating substance and the one that has made marijuana one of the most widely used recreational drugs in the world behind alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco.

 

4

To get a bit more technical, most naturally occurring THC has a particular structure called delta-9 (D9). To get around laws that prohibit D9 THC (see below), some have turned to the laboratory synthesis of delta-8 (D8) and delta-10 (D10) THC, though these are not as well-studied.

 

5

CBD is not intoxicating, though it may have benefits with regards to inflammation, nausea, sleep, and anxiety.

 

6

Rather than talk in terms of strains—which, as above, gets kind of messy—there is a movement to just refer to a product’s CBD to THC ratio.

 

7

The term hemp is simply another word for the cannabis plant. For whatever reason, it is used in reference to those plants that are not being cultivated for drug use (and therefore have more CBD relative to THC). Among other things, such plants provide fibers (for textiles and building materials), oil (from the seeds), and nutrition.

 

8

Hashish, or hash, refers to a concentrate from the parts of the cannabis plant that contain large amounts of cannabinoids. In other words, THC levels can be very high.

 

9

In the US, the federal Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 mandated onerous registration and tax compliance to function in the marijuana industry, leading to de facto prohibition. From there, laws have evolved, first becoming even stricter but more recently loosening.

 

10

Current laws surrounding marijuana in the US are extremely complicated. CBD-dominant products are often legal at the state and federal levels, with dosing provided in milligrams. Products with more THC may or may not be legal depending on the state (with quantity restrictions) and, as of this writing, have no federal protection. Dosing is also provided in milligrams.

If you get arrested, you might have messed something up.

 

Disclaimer: ComposeMD neither promotes nor vilifies the use of marijuana, and it definitely is not a source of legal advice.