Cannabis, prepared from the plants from the same genus, is a psychoactive drug, which has found usage in medical and recreational fields. The plants of the genus, C. sativa, C. indica and C. ruderalis, are grown in Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. Cannabis cultivation dates back to as early as the third millennium BCE and has been used for its psychoactive effects even 2500 years ago.
The active ingredient responsible for its psychoactive effect is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). Due to its impact, the drug has been facing legal restrictions since the early 20th century, finally getting some acceptance in Uruguay in 2013. Medical usage of the drug has been legalized in a few countries, provided it bears the stamp of approval by a physician, but it is still illegal in most countries.
The history of the use of cannabis plants has been discovered through the ancient scriptures of the various civilizations. These reveal the usage of the plants to provide relief in many medical ailments. The leaves and flowers of the cannabis plants are used to prepare marijuana, which is another common name for the drug. Cannabis is also known as Hemp, but that is limited to the use of the plants cultivated for non-drug usage such as hemp fiber, seeds and oil extracted from them. The hemp leaves have been used in cooking and preparing juice for medicinal and recreational purposes.
It can be smoked, inhaled, drunk (as in tea or bhaang), eaten (in butter or baked foods) or as capsules. It is also available for topical application to relieve certain skin ailments. In the early 90s, when it was introduced in the western world, it was powdered and mixed in wine. At later stages, THC was administered as a capsule. The main purpose of cannabis when administered as a medicine is pain relief as in ancient times.
Cannabis has been used to treat various ailments since ancient times when it was mixed with other medicines to provide quick relief. It can be administered in various ways but has the quickest effect when it is inhaled. The medicinal use requires the dosage of the active ingredients to be controlled to avoid the adverse effects of the drug.
We can say that cannabis was not really invented but discovered through the centuries. A lot of research on its properties has revealed modern ways for its usage.
