A survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse revealed that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance. After years of being viewed with aversion, a number of health benefits that accrue out of marijuana use have made it extremely popular among the medical community of the world. Moreover, it’s interesting to note that marijuana seeds were initially cultivated by ancient cultures as herbal medicine, and using it to get high is a relatively newer development.
Here are some interesting facts about marijuana that will help you understand it better:
Growing marijuana is a highly scientific process
Like with any other plant, in order to ensure a sizeable harvest, marijuana plants need to be grown under controlled conditions. The specificity of the desired conditions makes the process of cultivating marijuana a challenging one. Moreover, the legal aspect of the plant makes the process even more difficult, by allowing only a selected number of people to have access to marijuana seeds.
Some people prefer growing marijuana indoors, where it’s easier to control plant diseases and changes in weather conditions. A special requirement of the marijuana plant is that it requires 12 hours of light and 12 hours of total darkness in order to flower and produce THC – the chemical which is responsible for getting people high. It’s also important to note that some marijuana strains are more difficult to grow than others: while strains like Columbian Gold have a long flowering period, others can prove to be problematic with their specific feeding needs. Therefore, your marijuana plants can only be a success if you’re ready to dedicate time towards taking care of all the technicalities while keeping up with the changing laws.
Only female marijuana plants offer a high
It’s quite easy to differentiate between female and male marijuana plants: females have small translucent hair at the joints, while males do not. Differentiating the two is crucial because if you’re looking to get high, male plants will be completely useless. The only purpose of growing male plants is to enable breeding as the weed that is smoked or eaten is always gotten from female plants.
Marijuana affects men and women differently
A research conducted by Rebecca Craft of Washington State University revealed that males and females experience cannabis differently. It was found that females build up a tolerance to THC faster than men, therefore increasing the likelihood of them becoming dependent on the drug. More importantly, her research also revealed that females are more sensitive to the pain-relieving qualities of marijuana. With further funding, Craft believed that a number of other differences could be found through medical research.
The two most popular cannabinoids found in marijuana counter each other’s effects
THC and CBD are the two main cannabinoids found in marijuana. Their popularity has to do with the world coming to know about a number of medical properties that they possess. THC has psychoactive properties, which makes it more desirable from a recreational point of view. CBD, on the other hand, is not only non-psychoactive but also responsible for counteracting the effects of THC. Since different strains have varying levels of THC and CBD, the ultimate purpose of using the drug determines the selection of the strain. However, it’s surprising to note that despite not having any psychoactive properties, CBD is largely illegal.
William Shakespeare liked to smoke marijuana
This fact may not be as serious or helpful as the others on this list, but it’s quite interesting to note that the world’s greatest playwright may have had some help from cannabis.
Upon analyzing Shakespeare’s 400-years-old tobacco pipes which were excavated from his garden, a team of South African scientists found residue of cannabis. The findings of the study were published, thus, bringing an end to the debate on whether Shakespeare smoked weed or not. Even though this finding may not really change our opinion of the great bard, Shakespeare’s splendid literary work forces us to think about whether it’s actually true that cannabis inspires creativity.
Despite the immense popularity that cannabis enjoys, the spread of misinformation and myths has gone a long way in tampering with its reputation. However, at this point in time, it’s almost impossible to deny the popularity or the usefulness of the drug, especially since it was found to be the largest cash crop in the United States during the period of 2003-2005. Since then, a number of other studies have been conducted by scientists all over the world – with Israel being the global leader in marijuana research. It can be observed that more and more countries have decided to dedicate their resources and time to research on marijuana because of the immense potential that they see in the drug – not only in the field of medicine but also as a means to create an improved lifestyle.
