The name of this annual plant is known to all, it causes a smirk among young people and hostility among the older generation. However, few know that in addition to smoking for the purpose of pleasure, it is used for other purposes. What is cannabis? What are the varieties and methods of using the plant.
Description
What is cannabis? So called the annual plant of the hemp family. Individual varieties of plants are used for agricultural purposes. A plant can be identified by the following external characteristics:
- The canabis bush has a height of 60 cm to 4 m, depending on the variety.
- 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 whisk, and the female ones resemble a spikelet. The flowering of cannabis occurs as the bush ripens, if we are talking about weed hemp, or when creating the necessary conditions for warmth and daylight.
- The fruit has the appearance of a rounded nut, inside of which there are nutrients to ensure germination during planting.
Not so long ago, breeders bred monoecious cannabis varieties, which simultaneously have male and female inflorescences. The cultivation of such varieties is greatly facilitated. They are used exclusively for agricultural purposes, as they contain an extremely small amount of psychotropic substances.
Hemp sowing
Kanabis sativa or hemp sowing is a dioecious annual plant. It is characterized by leaves with five narrow lobes, which have serrated edges. The seed variety is often grown to produce oil, which is used as a food, and also serves as the basis for paint paints. Fiber is used for the manufacture of burlap, ropes, canvas.
Medical use of the plant is known. For this, only the upper inflorescences of female bushes, the so-called canabis cones, are taken. Dried plants are used as bedding for livestock, as they absorb moisture well.
The cultivation of cannabis is only possible with a specialized license, since the plant is often used as a narcotic, due to the high content of cannabinol.
Weed hemp
Weed is called wild-growing sowing hemp. For the first time this term was introduced by the botanist D. Yanishevsky. It grows everywhere - along roads, in landfills, in plantings. It has a low height - up to 60 cm, although it can reach a height of 2 meters if ideal conditions are met.
The plant is very similar to hemp sowing, however, it has differences: mild branching of stems, smaller leaves and inflorescences.
Indian hemp
What is indica grade 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 in the sowing variety.
The inflorescences are large, slightly sticky to the touch, large in size. Indian hemp is cultivated in hot climates. Despite its name, it is most often grown in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Due to its high content of cannabinol, it is used to produce hash 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 the legislation of Russia. However, in some European countries it is permitted and often practiced. One of the most famous countries where marijuana is legalized is the Netherlands.
In medicine, hemp is used due to the chemical composition, which includes cannabinol. It effectively affects brain receptors, which 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 treatment.
Effect on the body
In some countries, cannabis is known as a cure for headache, but, in addition to suppressing soreness, it has the following negative effects:
- inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, so the user often has the effect of red swollen eyes;
- increased heart rate;
- relaxedness;
- a feeling of severe hunger;
- feeling of calm;
- decreased attention span;
- fast confusing speech;
- increased tactile sensitivity;
- temporary memory impairment;
- decreased adequate perception of reality.
In addition, with an overdose, the following symptoms are noted:
- paranoia, the appearance of obsessive thoughts;
- anxiety;
- irritability;
- panic attacks;
- auditory or visual hallucinations;
- cerebrovascular accident;
- difficulty speaking, like porridge in your mouth.
According to these signs, it is easy to determine the person who smoked cannabis. In addition, the user will give a characteristic smell of marijuana, which remains on the body, clothes, hair after smoking.
The negative effect of long-term use
For medical purposes, one-time use of small doses of the plant is allowed, this is due to the inadmissibility of the development of addiction. Regular smoking can cause dependence, as well as nervous and physical disorders:
- Influence on mental abilities, the deterioration of short-term memory, the inability to perform simple tasks and build logical chains. People who have been smoking marijuana for a long time experience dullness, which is associated with the ingestion of a large number of psychotropic substances that are contained in marijuana. A person who is 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, as well as 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 lung cancer and upper respiratory tract cancer.
- With prolonged smoking of hemp, there is a decrease in testosterone in men. 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, which cause problems during pregnancy. The inability to bear the fetus, various developmental abnormalities, infant mortality, and a difficult pregnancy can all be consequences of cannabis use.
The use of cannabis as a medical or narcotic drug differs only in dosage. As a rule, when prescribed as a medicine, the dosage is much less, and the use is reduced to a single.
Technical hemp
To date, the industrial cultivation of industrial hemp is complicated by applicable law. Everyone should receive a special permit for cultivation, as well as provide round-the-clock field protection.
Sheets of cannabis and its stems are used in the weaving industry to create strong fiber. Next, it goes to the production of clothes, shoes, household goods. On sale such household items can be found only at specialized fairs, in online stores.
Hemp oil, produced from industrial hemp, is an excellent antioxidant and is recommended for consumption in case of respiratory problems, cancer, and digestive system diseases.
In addition, raw materials from cannabis are used for 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 ripening 6;
- Southern ripening monoecious 1;
- Dneprovskaya 4;
- Krasnodar 35;
- Poltava monoecious 3;
- South Pavlograd;
- South Cherkasy.
What is technical canabis? Varieties specially bred with a high fiber content, which is suitable for use for technical purposes. In addition, industrial cannabis should be easy to cultivate in temperate regions to maximize yield.