MARIJUANA- A plant that has travelled the world

Since cannabis is the only plant on the planet that yields both a drug and a useful fiber, it’s no surprise that it has been active for thousands of years.This drug indeed has a colorful history. The oldest cultivated crop has seen it all. From the sites where hunters lived to ancient China, cannabis has been used across the world for ages.
This “medicinal” plant has more to it than just the “high”. The medicinal property of it is known and accepted throughout the world. It was first referred to in the Hindu Vedas as the ‘food of God.’ Now how can a food of God be so harmful that it is deemed illegal? The idea that this is an evil drug is a very recent construction. The world is slowly and gradually understanding it and evolving in such a way that a few countries like Washington and Colorado have legalized it not just for medicinal but recreational reasons also. Talking about recreation, all the stoners out there might agree that cannabis in any form gives an instant high, a feeling of euphoria which lasts for good one to two hours. Other than that, it is also used to relieve muscle spasms and pain. In fact, Marijuana has been legal in many regions of the world for most of its history.

Now talking about the uses of the plant raises the curiosity about where did exactly pot come from? But before that, it is important to distinguish between the two familiar subspecies of the cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa (known as marijuana, has psychoactive properties) is used to “bond” over the drug by people of different age groups. The other plant is Cannabis sativa L.This subspecies is known as hemp, it is a nonpsychoactive form of cannabis, and is used in manufacturing products such as oil, cloth and fuel.

Medical cannabis (or medical marijuana) refers to the use of cannabis and its constituent cannabinoids, to treat disease or improve symptoms. But even then, the medicinal value of cannabis is disputed. The American Society of Addiction Medicine dismisses medical use because of concerns about dependence and adverse health effects. This was self – explanatory, something which is so addictive and is euphoric is supposed to have its share of adversities too. It affects the lungs, has neurological consequences also. The biggest irony is, though it is used to relieve the pain and nausea caused during chemotherapy, it also causes cancer.

The whole discussion about marijuana and its usage is debatable. Anything that has advantages has its share of disadvantages too. It all depends on the perception. To eachhis own.