What is Cannabis?

Written and Fact Checked by S. Zulfiqar

Cannabis is one of the hundreds of thousands of plants known to humankind and, now, science. What makes it unique is that it offers some of the most remarkable properties we can think of. Although the uses have somehow changed because of all the modern developments, the fact remains that this plant is still as popular as it has been hundreds of years ago.

Cannabis, its Uses & Incredible Popularity

Cannabis is known for its excellent properties. Whether it’s used for recreational purposes or as a medical drug, people who consume it and the medical industry praise the plant for everything it offers.

Cannabis-based products are the primary reason behind the popularity of this plant. As far as the recreational aspect of cannabis is concerned, there are tons of uses of it. The flowers of the plants are dried before they can be used to inhale. Similarly, its stems, leaves, and seeds are widely used as well. The legal status regarding the use of cannabis remains a challenge as it’s still illegal in many countries. That is why the people who are thinking or planning to buy cannabis should first wholly be aware of their state and country’s laws.

In terms of its medical usage, it may create ease by soothing chronic pains and other conditions.

Ways to Consume the Goodness of the Plant

You can either smoke or inhale or just opt for the other ways of consuming cannabis. The decision of how you want to intake the plant remains on you.

• Smoking

Hands down, the most popular way of consuming cannabis is by smoking it. There are different ways to smoke your weed. You can use the weed to fill in a cigarette, or you can simply add cannabis to your rolling papers and light it up.

• Vaping

Another popular choice is vaping. You can use the vape cartridges of your choice and enjoy the goodness of cannabis. All you have to do is look around and find a decent quality vape (or vaporizer). You can find tons of different types of vapes over the internet and smoke shops. Look around and see what sort of vape fits your needs the best, and that’s it.

• Bongs & Pipes

More popular ways to smoke cannabis are either by using bongs or pipes. You must have already seen a bong and know what it looks like. It’s a water pipe that acts as a filtration device and is generally used to smoke cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal components. While pipes are the old-fashioned way of consuming your weed, they look super classy, though.

Other ways to consume cannabis include brewing as we brew our tea. Boil the leaves as we boil water for our regular tea.

• Other Consumable Forms of Cannabis

There is also a wide variety of readily available edibles. From gummy bears to candies or brownies, if you like chewing them, you’ll enjoy edibles.

Tinctures and topicals are also available where they are applied to the skin, and sublingual is consumed using a dropper and placing a few drops under your tongue.

For other medical uses, capsules and other supplements are also available.

Cannabis also has tons of different names, and you must have heard most of them. Here’s the list of the names that are given to the plant by its loyal consumers: 

 

Grass	Hash	Pot
dope	greens	herb
ganja	joint	cones
skunk	weed	reefer
mull	buckets	hydro
Buddha	spliff	hooch

What Does the Cannabis Plant Contain?

In terms of looks, the cannabis plant has a bright green colour but after it’s dried or before it’s smoked, it’s usually of darker colour.

There are two things about cannabis that you should know about: the THC and the CBD; we won’t be surprised if you have already heard or read about them. These are the two main components of the plant. The main difference between them is that cannabinoid (CBD) is a non-intoxicating and non-euphoric compound. At the same time, THC is responsible for the intoxicating part as it’s the primary psychoactive compound of the plant. In other words, CBD wouldn’t get you high because that’s the job of THC. THC will get you up above the world, exactly where you need to be.

So how does one feel after a smoky cannabis session?

Well, different people react to it differently. It makes sense as everybody has their unique features and tolerance levels and hence feels differently. But generally, one would feel high after smoking cannabis. It’s a euphoric feeling why a lot of people consume it in the first place.

Secondly, the relaxation! Another primary reason why smokers use cannabis is that it gives them the ultimate peace that they deserve. If you have ever smoked cannabis, you’ll know what we are talking about.

Thirdly, an increase in appetite is also a common effect that most people feel after consuming the plant. 

Other effects include:

• Changes in perception like time, colours, etc., 
• Being giggly or more talkative. It’s a little joke that a regular joke might make you laugh a lot harder when you’re stoned. So if you’re willing to have a good time with your friends or if you feel like you haven’t had a good laugh in days, this is the time to call your like-minded friends for a fun little cannabis session.

While you’re still reading, make sure that you’re not overdoing it. One might think that if they’re having fun and consuming more of it would make them have more fun, then let us remind you that that’s not the case. You do not want to spoil the evening by overdoing it. Start from slow and see how much you can take and tolerate.

 

Related Reads: How to Make Shroom Tea, How to Smoke Hash and Other Hash Basics, How to Smoke Shatter: A Quick Guide

References

• Karila L et al. Acute and long-term effects of cannabis use: a review. Curr Pharm Des. 2014;20(25):4112-8.
• Henry J. Comparing cannabis with tobacco. BMJ. 2003 May 3; 326(7396): 942–943.