19 Pretty fatty facts about Marijuana Courtesy of Cypress Hill's Fat ass album.. Black Sunday
1
Cannabis and Hemp are the same. "Marijuana" was the Mexican name given to cannabis.
2
Cannabis was first cultivated in China around 4000 B.C.
3
The original drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper.
4
One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as four acres of trees.
5
Hemp is a source of fiber for cloth and cordage for rope. The hemp fiber is located inside the long stem of the plant.
6
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp. Washington, our first president, declared, "Make the most of the hemp seed. Sow it everywhere."
7
Hemp seed is nature's perfect food. The oil from hemp seeds has the highest percentage of essential fatty acids and the lowest percentage of saturated fats.
8
Sterilized hemp seed is commonly sold as bird seed.
9
Rolling papers, like Bambu, are made from hemp paper.
10
In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act prohibited the use, sale, cultivation of hemp/marijuana in the United States.
11
Five years later, during World War II, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the film, "Hemp For Victory," which encouraged American farmers to grow hemp for the war effort.
12
Hemp is cultivated all over the world. Today, China, Korea, Italy, Hungary, Russia and France are among the countries that grow hemp for a fiber, paper and other products.
13
Cannabis is classified as a schedule 1 drug by the Food and Drug Administration. Designated as a narcotic, it cannot be prescribed by physicans to patients.
14
In 1988, the DEA's own administrative law judge concluded that "marijuana is one of the safest, therepeuticallyactive substances known to man."
15
Cannabis can be used as a medicine to treat nausea, pain, and muscle spasms. It alleviates symptoms of glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, migraines and other debilitating ailments.
16
Thirty-Five states have passed legislation permitting medical use of marijuana.
17
Twelve Americans receive prescribed marijuana from the U.S. Government.
18
More than 400,000 Americans are arrested each year on marijuana charges.
19
More than 400,000 Americans die from diseases related to cigarette smoking each year. More than 150,000 Americans die of alcohol abuse each year. But in 10,000 years of usage, no one has ever died from marijuana.
Marijuana is the most frequently used illicit drug in America today. The term marijuana, as commonly used, refers to the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant.
A tobacco-like substance produced by drying the leaves and flowering tops of the cannabis plant, marijuana varies significantly in its potency, depending on the source and selection of plant materials used. The form of marijuana known as sinsemilla (Spanish, sin semilla: without seed), derived from the unpollinated female cannabis plant, is preferred for its high THC content.
Marijuana is usually smoked in the form of loosely rolled cigarettes called "joints" or hollowed out commercial cigars called "blunts." Joints and blunts may be laced with a number of adulterants including phencyclidine (PCP), substantially altering the effects and toxicity of these products. Street names for marijuana include pot, grass, weed, Mary Jane, Acapulco Gold, and reefer.
Although marijuana grown in the U.S. was once considered inferior because of a low concentration of THC, advancements in plant selection and cultivation have resulted in highly potent domestic marijuana. In 1974, the average THC content of illicit marijuana was less than 1 percent; in early 1994, potency averaged 5 percent. The THC of today's sinsemilla ranges up to 17 percent.
Marijuana contains known toxins and cancer-causing chemicals which are stored in fat cells for as long as several moths. Marijuana users experience the same health problems as tobacco smokers, such as bronchitis, emphysema and bronchial asthma. Some of the effects of marijuana use also include: an increased heart rate, dryness of the mouth, reddening if the eyes, impaired motor skills and concentration, and frequent hunger and an increased desire for sweets. Extended use increases risk to the lungs and reproductive system, as well as suppression of the immune system. Occasionally hallucinations, fantasies and paranoia are reported.
Marijuana is also smuggled into the United States from Mexico, Colombia and elsewhere. A "brick" of marijuana, one kilo (2.2 pounds) is a common method of packaging for shipment to the U.S.
Q and A time kiddies!!! Courtesy of the National Institute on Drug Abuse..
Q: How does marijuana affect the brain?
A: THC affects the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed. This makes it hard for the user to recall recent events (such as what happened a few minutes ago). It is hard to learn while high - a working short-term memory is required for learning and performing tasks that call for more than one or two steps.
Among a group of long-time heavy marijuana users in Costa Rica, researchers found that the people had great trouble when asked to recall a short list of words (a standard test of memory). People in that study group also found it very hard to focus their attention on the tests given to them.
Smoking marijuana causes some changes in the brain that are like those caused by cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. Some researchers believe that these changes may put a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs, such as cocaine or heroin.
It may be that marijuana kills brain cells. In laboratory research, scientists found that high doses of THC given to young rats caused a loss of brain cells such as that seen with aging. At 11 or 12 months of age (about half their normal life span), the rats' brains looked like those of animals in old age. It is not known whether a similar effect occurs in humans.
Researchers are still learning about the many ways that marijuana could affect the brain.
A: Scientists do not yet know how the use of marijuana relates to mental illness. Some researchers in Sweden report that regular, long-term intake of THC (from cannabis) can increase the risk of developing certain mental diseases, such as schizophrenia.
Still others maintain that regular marijuana use can lead to chronic anxiety, personality disturbances, and depression.
A: Within a few minutes of inhaling marijuana smoke, the user will likely feel, along with intoxication, a dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction time. Blood vessels in the eye expand, so the user's eyes look red.
For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed with marijuana; but users do not always know when that happens.
As the immediate effects fade, usually after 2 to 3 hours, the user may become sleepy.
Q: How long does marijuana stay in the user's body?
A: THC in marijuana is readily absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs. Generally, traces (metabolites) of THC can be detected by standard urine testing methods several days after a smoking session. However, in heavy, chronic users, traces can sometimes be detected for weeks after they have stopped using marijuana.
A: Yes. Some users, especially someone new to the drug or in a strange setting, may suffer acute anxiety and have paranoid thoughts. This is more likely to happen with high doses of THC. These scary feelings will fade as the drug's effects wear off.
In rare cases, a user who has taken a very high dose of the drug can have severe psychotic symptoms and need emergency medical treatment.
Other kinds of bad reactions can occur when marijuana is mixed with other drugs, such as PCP or cocaine.
A: Marijuana can be harmful in a number of ways, through both immediate effects and damage to health over time.
Marijuana hinders the user's short-term memory (memory for recent events), and he or she may have trouble handling complex tasks. With the use of more potent varieties of marijuana, even simple tasks can be difficult.
Because of the drug's effects on perceptions and reaction time, users could be involved in auto crashes. Drug users also may become involved in risky sexual behavior. There is a strong link between drug use and unsafe sex and the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Under the influence of marijuana, students may find it hard to study and learn. Young athletes could find their performance is off; timing, movements, and coordination are all affected by THC.
Some of the more long-range effects of marijuana use are described later in this document.
A: Marijuana affects many skills required for safe driving: alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination, and reaction time. These effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana. Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road. NO FUCKING SHIT.. YOU ARE STONED!!
There are data showing that marijuana can play a role in crashes. When users combine marijuana with alcohol, as they often do, the hazards of driving can be more severe than with either drug alone.
A study of patients in a shock-trauma unit who had been in traffic accidents revealed that 15 percent of those who had been driving a car or motorcycle had been smoking marijuana, and another 17 percent had both THC and alcohol in their blood.
In one study conducted in Memphis, TN, researchers found that, of 150 reckless drivers who were tested for drugs at the arrest scene, 33 percent tested positive for marijuana, and 12 percent tested positive for both marijuana and cocaine. Data also show that while smoking marijuana, people show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do people who have had too much to drink.
