Marijuana Indian Hemp

Cannabis Cannabis saliva (Marijuana, Indian Hemp)... 

Widely used in India and the Middle East, marijuana was viewed as an innocuous social drug by many British and other foreign observers. In 1894, the Indian Hemp Commission issued a voluminous report that concluded ... 

A voluminous report from the Indian Hemp Commission concludes that hemp (marijuana), when used moderately, does not lead to excess and causes no more injury than moderate use of alcohol. 

Marijuana is derived from the Indian hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, a member of the Cannabaceae family and the Urticales (nettle) order. Some botanists claim that this genus contains as many as three other species C. indica, C. ruderalis, and even Humulus lupulus, the hops plant. Other botanists insist that the differences between plants reflect simple variations, not different species. 

Marijuana is the flowering part of the Indian hemp plant Cannabis sativa, a weed-like species that grows wild and is also cultivated in many tropical and temperate parts of the world. Cannabis means hemp in Latin and is derived from the Greek word kannabis. Marijuana probably comes from the Mexican Spanish marijuana/marihuana (Mary s leaf or plant) or from Maria and Juan (Mary and John). Among its many names, marijuana is commonly known as weed, ganja, mary jane, and pot. 

The resin of the flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant contain the chemical compounds responsible for marijuana s psychoactive and medicinal properties. This resin can be collected and pressed into blocks, known as hashish. 

Early in this century, much concern about use of marijuana was aroused in the Panama Canal area. The Army s investigative body came to the same conclusions as the 1894 Indian Hemp Commission that Cannabis is comparatively innocuous, that it s not addictive, etc. Another commission established soon after in New Orleans produced the same findings. The most famous of all these investigative bodies, the LaGuardia Commission, reported in 1943 on the use of marijuana in New York City with the same results. 

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), first isolated from Indian hemp, is the primary active constituent of marijuana. Although recreational use of cannabis is illegal in the United States, the FDA has approved THC in capsule form as an anti-nausea agent for chemotherapy patients and as an appetite stimulant for AIDS-related anorexia. Like other controlled substances,THC can be detected in minute amounts by modern instrumental methods. In Chapter 13, we learn about mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy, two techniques used for characterizing organic compounds. 

The Indian hemp plant popularly known as marijuana rts resin, flowering tops, leaves, and stem contain the plant s psychoactive substances. 

Pamphlet Entitled Marijuana or Indian Hemp and its Preparations, Distributed by the International Narcotic Education Association -... 

Several influential reports have appeared on the use of marijuana and its effects, including the 1894 Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report and the 1944 LaGuardia Commission Report. Such reports have tended to find that marijuana use overall is not particularly harmful to society at large. 

The report of the Indian Hemp Drags Commission has been widely praised for its thoroughness and impartiality. "The most complete and systematic study of marijuana undertaken to date," one critic has said. Another has described the report as "by far the most complete collection of information on marijuana in existence."... 

Marijuana is a mixture of the chopped up leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of the Indian hemp plant, alias Cannabis Sativa. The intoxicating effects of marijuana are attributed to... 

Kaplan, J. (1969) Marijuana. Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1893-1894. Thomas Jefferson Publishing Co., Silver Spring, MD. 

Synonyms Indian cannabis, Indian hemp bhang ganja charas marijuana marihuana hashish pot. 

Cannabaceae Cannabis indica (Indian hemp, marijuana)... 

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