What is marijuana?

I don’t really know how to start this blog, so I’ll just start typing and see what happens. I live in Southern California, where it’s legal according to state and local law to use marijuana.

A note on naming. Marijuana is technically any member of the cannabis species, and it has MANY alternate names. Pot, weed, grass, herb, medicine, etc. I’ll frequently use these alternative words for two reasons. The first is that I want you, the reader, to get used to using them without giggling. That’s part of breaking the taboo. The second reason is that I get tired of typing the same word, so we’ll have some fun with it.

Cannabis is a plant that grows best in warm, tropical climates. The flowers of the plant are coated in a sticky resin that contains hundreds of ingredients, most notably delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. When this material is heated to about 200 degrees Celsius, it vaporizes and can be absorbed directly and comfortably by the lungs. When this material is eaten, it is absorbed more slowly by the digestive tract, but the effect is similar. The effect varies based on the strain of marijuana used, but generally can be described as relaxing and euphoric.

For more information on this amazing plant, use the ‘Wikipedia’ link to the left or click on the graphic below. Have fun learning! But don’t forget to come back here for more. Check out all the other info in the Getting Started section at least.

http://thefreshscent.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/masterkush.jpg