Weed Facts and Information

Weed is a drug that comes from Indian hemp plants such as weed sativa and indica. The main active chemical in weed is THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol).

Hemp is a depressant drug. Depressant drugs do not necessarily make you feel depressed. Rather, they slow down the activity of the central nervous system and the messages going between the brain and the body. When large doses of hemp are taken, it may also produce hallucinogenic effects.

Weed is also known as grass, pot, hash, weed, reefer, dope, herb, mull, buddha, ganja, joint, stick, buckets, cones, skunk, hydro, yarndi, smoke and hooch.

The leaves of the weed plant are bright green and have a distinctive shape with five or seven leaflets. The flowering tops and upper leaves are covered in a sticky resin.

Weed is used for the psychoactive (mind and mood-altering) effects of THC and other active ingredients. THC is the chemical in hemp that makes you feel “high”.

There are three main forms of psychoactive weed: marijuana, hashish and hash oil.

Marijuana is the most common and least potent form of weed. Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowers of the plant.

Hashish (“hash”) is dried weed resin, usually in the form of a small block. The concentration of THC in hashish is higher than in marijuana, producing stronger effects. Hash oil is a thick, oily liquid, golden brown to black in color, which is extracted from hemp. Hash oil is the strongest form of weed.

The different forms of weed are used in different ways:

Marijuana is smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes (joints), or in a pipe (a bong).

Hashish is usually added to tobacco and smoked, or baked and eaten in foods such as hash cookies.

Hash oil is usually spread on the tip or paper of a cigarette and then smoked.
Weed and hash can also be smoked in a vaporizer. Vaporizers heat weed to temperatures that release its active ingredients while minimizing the toxins associated with burning.
The THC in weed is absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the lungs (if smoked), or through the walls of the stomach and intestines (if eaten). The bloodstream carries the THC to the brain, producing the “high” effects. Drugs inhaled get into the bloodstream quicker than those eaten. This means that the effects of weed when smoked occur more rapidly than when eaten.
Medical uses

Weed has been used for medical purposes for many centuries. It has been reported that hemp may be useful to help conditions such as:

• Nausea and vomiting, particularly when associated with chemotherapy
• Wasting and severe weight loss, in people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or anorexia nervosa, as it may be used as an appetite stimulant
• Pain relief, for example, in people with cancer and arthritis
• Relief from symptoms of some neurological disorders that involve muscle spasms, including multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury
• glaucoma
• epilepsy
• asthma.