The name of this annual plant is known to all, it causes a smirk among young people and hostility from the older generation. However, few people know that in addition to smoking for the purpose of obtaining pleasure, it is used for other purposes. What is cannabis? What are the varieties and ways to use the plant.
Description
What is cannabis? This is the name of an annual plant of the cannabis family. Some varieties of the plant are used for agricultural purposes. The plant can be identified by the following external features:
- A cannabis bush has a height of 60 cm to 4 m, depending on the cultivar.
- The leaves are multi-lobed, have pronounced notches along the edges and a fleshy vein in the middle.
- Plants exist both male and female. The flowers of the male bush resemble a panicle, the female flowers resemble a spikelet. Cannabis flowering occurs as the bush matures, if we are talking about weed hemp, or when the necessary conditions for warmth and daylight are created.
- The fruit has the appearance of a rounded nut, inside of which there are nutrients forensure germination at planting.
Not so long ago, breeders bred monoecious varieties of cannabis, which simultaneously have both male and female inflorescences. The cultivation of such varieties is greatly facilitated. They are used exclusively for agricultural purposes, as they contain extremely small amounts of psychotropic substances.
Hemp seed
Cannabis sativa or cannabis sativa is a dioecious annual plant. It is characterized by leaves with five narrow lobes that have serrated edges. The seed variety is often grown for oil, which is used as food, and also serves as the basis for paints. The fiber is used to make burlap, ropes, canvas.
The plant is known for medicinal use. To do this, take only the upper inflorescences of female bushes, the so-called cannabis cones. Dried plants are used as bedding for livestock, as they absorb moisture well.
Cultivation of cannabis is possible only with a specialized license, as the plant is often used as a drug due to its high content of cannabinol.
Weed hemp
Weed is commonly called wild-growing cannabis. This term was first introduced by the botanist D. Yanishevsky. It grows everywhere - along roads, in landfills, in plantings. It has a short stature - up to 60 cm, although under ideal conditions it can reach a height of 2 meters.
Planthas a great similarity with cannabis, but has differences: slightly pronounced branching of the stems, smaller leaves and inflorescences.
Indian hemp
What is indica cannabis? Indian hemp differs in appearance - the bush has a conical shape and pronounced branching of the stems. In addition, the leaves of such cannabis have wider lobes than the seed variety.
Inflorescences are large, slightly sticky to the touch, large size. Indian hemp is cultivated in countries with a hot climate. Despite its name, it is most commonly grown in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Due to the high content of cannabinol, it is used for the production of hashish for smoking. The cultivation of cannabis of this variety is prohibited by the laws of many countries.
Medicinal use
The use of cannabis in medicine refers to non-traditional methods of treatment and is officially prohibited by Russian law. However, in some European countries it is allowed and often practiced. One of the most famous countries where marijuana is legal is the Netherlands.
In medicine, cannabis is used due to its chemical composition, which includes cannabinol. It effectively affects the brain receptors that are responsible for pain. Thanks to this, the plant is able to reduce soreness. In addition, cannabis is used to suppress nausea and improve appetite in patients with cancer or AIDS who are taking special therapy.
Influence onorganism
In some countries, cannabis is known as a cure for headaches, but in addition to suppressing pain, it has the following negative effects:
- inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes, so the user often has the effect of red swollen eyes;
- increased heart rate;
- relaxation;
- feeling very hungry;
- feeling calm;
- decrease in concentration;
- fast slurred speech;
- increased tactile sensitivity;
- temporary memory impairment;
- decrease in adequate perception of reality.
In addition, overdose symptoms include:
- paranoia, the appearance of obsessive thoughts;
- anxiety;
- irritability;
- panic attacks;
- auditory or visual hallucinations;
- impaired cerebral circulation;
- difficult speech, like porridge in the mouth.
According to these signs, it is easy to identify a person who smoked cannabis. In addition, the user will give out a characteristic smell of marijuana, which remains on the body, clothes, hair after smoking.
Negative effects of prolonged use
For medical purposes, a single use of small doses of the plant is allowed, this is due to the inadmissibility of the development of addiction. Regular smoking can cause addiction, as well as nervous and physical disorders:
- Influence on thinking ability, deterioration of short-termmemory, the inability to perform simple tasks and build logical chains. In people who have been exposed to long-term smoking of marijuana, there is a dullness, which is associated with the intake of a large amount of psychotropic substances contained in marijuana into the body. A person under the influence of cannabis may not remember the actions taken after consumption. Long-term use tends to cause persistent states of panic, psychosis, as well as irreversible structural changes in the brain.
- Smoking cannabis, like smoking, causes changes in the human respiratory system. At the same time, resins settle in the lungs, which can cause chronic bronchitis, which is invariably accompanied by a smoker's cough. Frequent use can trigger the development of cancer of the lungs and upper respiratory tract.
- With prolonged smoking of cannabis, a decrease in testosterone levels in men is noted. In adolescence, there may be a delay in the development of sexual function. In severe cases, there may be a decrease in sperm activity, as well as their number.
- Cannabinoids tend to accumulate in the organs of the female reproductive system, causing problems during pregnancy. Inability to bear a fetus, various developmental anomalies, infant mortality, severe pregnancy - all this can be the consequences of cannabis use.
The use of cannabis as a medical or narcotic drug differs only in dosage. As a rule, when appointed asthe dosage of medicines is much less, and the use is reduced to a single one.
Technical hemp
Today, the industrial cultivation of technical hemp is hampered by the current legislation. Everyone must obtain a special permit for cultivation, as well as provide round-the-clock protection of the field.
Cannabis leaves and stems are used in the weaving industry to create a strong fiber. Further, it goes to the production of clothing, footwear, household goods. On sale, such household items can only be found at specialized fairs, in online stores.
Hemp oil, produced from technical hemp, is an excellent antioxidant and is recommended for consumption in case of respiratory problems, oncological diseases, diseases of the digestive system.
In addition, raw materials from cannabis are used in the production of fishing nets, paper, carpets, burlap.
Technical hemp varieties
The following varieties of technical cannabis are distinguished, the content of psychotropic substances in which is less than 0.08%:
- South maturing 6;
- Southern maturing monoecious 1;
- Dneprovskaya 4;
- Krasnodarskaya 35;
- Poltava monoecious 3;
- South Pavlogradskaya;
- Southern Cherkasy.
What is technical cannabis? Varieties are specially bred with a high fiber content, which is suitable for industrial use. Besides,industrial cannabis should be easy to grow in temperate regions for maximum yield.
