#983 Cannabis sativa Common Names: hemp, marijuana, ganja, gallow grass Family: Cannaceae (canna Family) Get link to this Profile or click for data record #983

You can see the small yellowish threadlike female flowers extending from among the leaves of this cannabis stemtip which contains the highest concentrations of pyschoactive compounds. Click here to download a large version of this image to see them in greater detail.

Location
Hemp is cultivated in many parts of the world for fiber, oil, bird feed and drugs. It is native to temperate central Asia, but has become established in much of the temperate and tropical world, including parts of the United States. Hemp for fiber is usually cultivated in temperate regions, and hemp for drugs is usually cultivated in tropical or subtropical regions.

Culture
It is illegal to grow hemp in the United States and in most of the Western Hemisphere without a government permit.
Light: Full sun.
Moisture: Hemp is tolerant of dry spells, but requires regular water for best growth.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 7 - 11. Hemp is an annual that requires about four months from germination until fruiting.
Propagation: Hemp is grown from seed (actually the achene, which is technically a fruit, is planted).

The male cannabis flower buds are fig-shaped structures that open to reveal small flowers with tiny yellowish petals. Click here to download a large version for a close up look.

The dried female flowers and extracts of them, variously processed, are used as medicinal and recreational drugs and known by such names as cannabis, marijuana, hashish, pot, grass, charas, bhang and ganja. The active ingredients in hemp include more than 60 different cannabinoids, including delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or "THC." These compounds have anesthetic, sedative, anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory and hypotensive (lowering blood pressure) properties, and are used to treat many forms of pain, insomnia, nausea, asthma, migraine headaches, glaucoma and depression. As a recreational drug, cannabis induces a feeling of euphoria and intoxication, and may cause hallucinations. Hemp is believed to be the only plant that contains THC, a powerful psychoactive compound.

Features
Hemp has been grown for medicinal and religious purposes in China for at least 5000 years. Infusions of hemp female flowers were used for pain relief throughout most of Asia since at least the first century BC. Hemp was first brought to Europe in the 1500's. By the 19th century, hemp was a commonly prescribed analgesic in Europe, used for everything from menstrual cramps to pain from surgery.

Cannabis is known to be an effective analgesic that relieves pain with minimal side effects (unlike opiates which have unwanted side effects like constipation and addiction). Cannabis is especially useful for AIDS and cancer patients, relieving chronic pain and reducing nausea brought on by chemotherapy and other medications. Cannabis reduces spasms and neurological overactivity in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. Its hypotensive activity makes it an effective treatment for high blood pressure and for glaucoma. Cannabis increases the appetite and induces sleep. Although THC is the ingredient most often studied, it is clear that other compounds in marijuana also have medicinal value.

WARNING
Hemp is classified as an illegal drug in the United States, and possession of hemp plants or drugs made from hemp is illegal. (There are, however, a number of legal sources for hemp textiles and cordage.) Recently, some states have eliminated their restrictions against the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes when taken under a physician's supervision. However, the federal government's anti-drug laws supercede the more lenient policies of the states, and possession of cannabis is still a federal offence.

Steve Christman 12/31/03, 6/6/05

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