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An excellent review of the biology, cultivation and use of cannabis the plant can be found by clicking here. |
Let's get one thing clear straight away. Cannabis is not "a drug". Or rather, it is, but the term "drug" immediately gives rise to all sorts of associations that are mostly political. In the first instance, and this should be remembered when talking about "drugs" in any negative sense, is that cannabis is a plant. It is when this natural substance is prepared and then ingested in certain ways that it becomes a drug: exactly the same way that alcohol is based on natural ingredients (yeast, water, sugar, barley/hops/anything else) prepared in certain ways, as is heroin (the opium poppy), cocaine (the coca leaf) and so on. Drugs do, quite literally, grow on trees. It is when we associate these natural substances with the usually pejorative term "drug" that they start becoming the sorts of things politicians, newspapers, teenagers get interested in.... but please remember, it's just a bloody flower. So this page is divided into two sections: Though there are many different strains of cannabis, as far as I know they are all examples of two species, Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. (There is a third species, Cannabis ruderalis, but this stands a long way behind the other two in terms of its psychoactive qualities). All three are members of the hemp family, and this family has many other uses than getting people a bit caned. You can make ropes, clothing and so on from hemp and it is an environmentally-friendly plant, as it doesn't need many pesticides or chemicals and can be grown in a variety of conditions. (I know very little about cannabis cultivation, as I've said on the main information menu - see here for some links.)  Cannabis sativa is a shrub that can grow to about four or five feet in height. It has distinctively-shaped leaves; thin, pointed and serrated. Biologists believe that it originated in Central Asia, but it was spread by humanity very early in our history and now is found all over the world. I've seen it growing wild (in fact, literally in a gutter) in Morocco: it won't survive outdoors in more temperate conditions, however, and in places such as Britain you will only find it as an indoor plant. Cannabis plants grown for consumption need greenhouses and lots of expensive equipment: the Marijuana museum in Amsterdam had a good display of growing plants the last time I was there. However I have also had cannabis home-grown in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland and a very long way from this kind of "professional" equipment. |
The Hash Marijuana Hemp museum in Amsterdam deserves an award for the most tautologically-named tourist attraction in Europe. It also doesn't seem to have a web page of its own: look here for a very brief intro. It's definitely worth a visit though, and is very slickly done, not at all seedy. |
 It is very easy to prepare cannabis the drug from cannabis the plant. This is why it is, at heart, a very anti-capitalist drug - you also don't need to be guilty of the accusation, "by buying cannabis you're supporting criminals/terrorists etc." because in the end, you can just grow your own and cut out the middle man. (Or woman.) The active ingredient of the cannabis plant - in other words, the chemical within it which gets you high - is tetrahydracannabinol or THC. Some strains of cannabis, particularly those grown for commercial hemp cultivation, have been engineered over time to almost completely remove their THC content. Conversely, strains of cannabis (usually known as "skunk" or "superskunk") have been bred to increase their THC content. But, in either case, THC is not found throughout the plant: the branches/twigs and seeds do not contain it. (So, the conscientious dealer will graciously remove these from the weight of the drug he or she has charged you for - in theory, of course.) It is the leaves and flowers, collectively known as the "bud", which contain THC, and below is a picture of same.  The bud can be prepared for ingestion in three different ways: two common, one much rarer and usually highly illegal (and to be avoided):
A "drug" isn't just a substance, however - even in terms of its having been deliberately prepared to enhance its intoxicating qualities. "Drugs" are also a complex mix of effects on the body and political associations. Not many people call alcohol "a drug", but it is one, and a particularly dangerous one too. Caffeine is a drug. So is aspirin. Even some aromatic oils can have drug-like effects and associations. Someone who "takes drugs" is seen as someone who is dangerous, unstable, criminal, anti-social, etc. etc.: but we all take drugs, most of us every single day. What I try and do on this site is to present unbiased, straightforward information on what this particular substance will do to you when you take it (that bit is here), along with other information on political and social issues. The bare facts about the physical substance cannabis are very simple, and are all contained on this page. To fully explore the drug cannabis, however, takes the rest of this site. Back to the top |