What Is Marihuana?

America has a mixed relationship with marihuana. An ancient sacrament and industrial crop grown in many colonial plantations, marihuana ran afoul of a nexus of industrial and social and security interests that combined forces in the 20th century to make it illegal. Marijuana is a plant, one that has a long history of development alongside humanity, and which has been used as both physical and spiritual nourishment. Yet, it is illegal to possess in the United States and many other western countries. Still, despite the prohibition, it remains enormously popular, with tens of billions of dollars worth selling each year in America alone.

Etymology

• Marihuana is an Anglicized, variant spelling of the popular name for the dried female flowers and subtending leaves of the plants cannabis sativa and cannabis indica, which are usually smoked. The more popular spelling is "marijuana." The term comes from the Spanish name for cannabis, which can also be spelled "mariguana," and is the source of the nickname "Mary Jane." The term "cannabis," however, is the standard international nomenclature.

Features

• Marihuana, the dried leaves and female flowers of cannabis, contain a psychoactive compound called delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. As many as 66 other cannabinoids of varying pharmacological activity are also present. These compounds are known to bind with at least four cannabinoid-specific receptors in the brain. The ingestion of THC produces effects that exhibit aspects of stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens, causing it to defy easy classification. Short-term effects include increased heart rate, lowered blood pressure, muscle relaxation, reduction of intraocular pressure and a subjective change in perception.

History

• The presence of cannabinoid receptors on neurons suggests a long evolutionary history of humanity with cannabis. In fact, archaeological evidence suggests smoking of marihuana as early as 5,000 years ago. Cannabis was known to the ancient Hindus of Nepal, who called it "ganjika" in Sanskrit. Its use by the Assyrians, Hebrews and Sufis is well documented. Though use of cannabis has never ceased, the plant became illegal to possess without a government stamp in 1937, and was subsequently classified as a Schedule I narcotic, the category reserved for the most dangerous and addictive drugs. Meanwhile, the Office of Strategic Services, precursor to the CIA, used marihuana as a kind of "truth serum" to extract information from suspects in the 1940s.

Medical Marijuana

• Despite the federal prohibition of marijuana, several states have enacted compassionate use laws that permit limited amounts of marijuana and live plants to those with legitimate medical conditions and prescriptions from doctors. California actually licenses government medical marijuana dispensaries that actually sell derivations of cannabis in several different forms. The most common form remains the marijuana cigarette, also called a joint or reefer. Active selection and breeding for potency has made modern marijuana strains that several times stronger (higher THC content) than the strains commonly available only a few decades ago. Critics of medical marijuana say the long term effects of these stronger varieties are not well enough understood for legitimate medical use.

Tax?

• But, undoubtedly, marijuana has truly blossomed as a part of American culture and medicine. In 2006, ABC News publicized a report finding cannabis to be America's number one cash crop. At a value of $35.8 billion, annual marijuana proceeds exceeded the value of corn and wheat combined. The obvious failure of prohibition, and the sheer volume of marijuana production have lead even conservative politicians to consider decriminalizing and taxing marijuana. It seems, however, that this perennial issue always has supporters, but never enough to change the laws. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the convictions of state-licensed medical marijuana users and producers under federal statutes, keeping marijuana illegal unless Congress takes action.