Marijuana Medical Drug

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Medical Drugs > Psychoactive

Description

Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi/Sanskrit), is a psychoactive drug extracted from the plant Cannabis sativa, or more often, Cannabis sativa subsp. indica. The herbal form of the drug consists of dried mature flowers and subtending leaves of pistillate (female) plants.

Cannabis is consumed in myriad ways, most of which either involve inhaling smoke from ignited plant or administering orally.

Various devices exist for smoking, most common are implements such as bongs, chillums and smoking pipes, joints or blunts. Local methods differ by the preparation of the cannabis plant before use, the parts of the cannabis plant which are used, and the treatment of the smoke before inhalation.

Cannabis has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed. The most common short-term physical and neurological effects include increased heart rate, lowered blood pressure, impairment of psychomotor coordination, concentration, and short-term memory. Long-term effects are less clear.

While many drugs clearly fall into the category of either stimulant, depressant, hallucinogen, or antipsychotic, cannabis, containing both THC and CBD, exhibits a mix of all properties, leaning towards hallucinogen properties due to THC being the primary constituent.

Smoking of cannabis is the most harmful method of consumption, since the combination of inhalation of smoke from organic materials such as tobacco, wood, gasoline and cannabis can cause various health problems.