Cannabis (drug)

:This article is about cannabis used as a drug. For other uses, see cannabis.

Preparations for human consumption

Cannabis is prepared for human consumption in several forms:

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• Marijuana or buds, the resin gland-rich flowering tops of female plants.
• Sinsemilla or sensemillia, flowering tops which are free of seeds as a result of being grown in a pollen-free environment. Since no plant energy can go into seed formation, this version is higher in psychoactive components.
• kief or kif, a powder containing the resin glands (glandular trichomes, often incorrectly called "crystals" or "pollen"). It is produced by sifting marijuana and leaves.
• Hashish, a concentrated resin made from pressing kif into blocks.
• Charas, produced by hand-rubbing the resin from the resin gland-rich parts of the plant. Often thin dark rectangular pieces.
• Bhang, prepared by the wet grinding of the leaves of the plant and used as a drink.
• Hash oil, resulting from extraction or distillation of THC-rich parts of the plant.
• Minimally potent leaves and detritus, called shake, bush or leaf.

There are also three different species of Cannabis. These include Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis, the latter containing somewhat less THC. They differ in their appearance and the highs they produce.

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Smoking

The most common method of cannabis consumption is by smoking a hit through one of several classes of devices:

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• By rolling it up, either manually or with a rolling machine, into a cigarette, often called a spliff or joint, with thin rolling papers, or into a cigar, often called a blunt, with wrapper obtained by removing the tobacco from the inside of a standard cigar. In such preparation, tobacco or other smokable material are sometimes combined (mulled) into a single roll.
• By using a smoking pipe, often called a bowl, usually made of blown glass, wood, or sometimes metal. Blown-glass pipes are usually intricately and colorfully designed, with colors becoming more vivid after repeated use. Such pipes usually have a rush or carb, short for carburetor or shotgun hole which is covered by a finger for suction when beginning smoking, which is released to finish inhalation, thus clearing the pipe of smoke without advancing the burning any further. Tobacco pipes, pipes home-made by the user, and others, are also sometimes used. Some users prefer a vertically held ceramic or glass pipe, known as a chillum, coming from India.
• In a water-pipe, or bong, by which the smoke is filtered through water into a large chamber. It should be noted that smoking from a bong loaded with cold water, ice, or snow will greatly cool the smoke and reduce heat-related damage. Bong use is common and enables smoking techniques that are not possible with a simple smoking pipe. Other designs include the waterfall bong and bucket bong. The term gravity bong has different meaning in different cultures but usually refers to either of these two latter devices.
• A further method, commonly referred to as spotting, knifers, hot knives or knife hits, is when two knives are heated (usually on a stove-top element) until red-hot. A small amount of resin, or marijuana (oil or bud), known as a spot is then pressed between the knives and the resulting smoke inhaled through a funnel, often made from a bottomless soft-drink bottle. This method is often used when no other materials for smoking are at hand, and is also thought to be more efficient, as there is no idle burning between inhalations. This method is more efficient because THC is destroyed at high temperatures, rather than released from the plant material. Hot knives, assuming they're not too hot, release more THC than they destroy, heightening the high. Done properly, this method can replicate the Vaporisation method mentioned below.

Oral consumption

Cannabis may be orally consumed by blending it with alcohol or fats. With this method, some claim that more cannabis must be used. The effects of the drug take longer to begin, but last longer and may be more physical rather than mental. A strong dose of oral cannabis is considered to give a stronger experience than smoked cannabis.It is thought that the active component of cannabis, delta- 9 THC, is converted to the more psychoactive delta-11 THC in the liver. It takes some experience for one to regulate the dose. Common preparations involve blending with butter that is used in preparing brownies, fudge or cookies. Infusion in drinks containing milk and flavoring herbs is also possible, and more common in India.

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As with other drugs that are taken orally, it is sometimes customary to fast before taking the drug to increase the effect (possibly because an empty stomach will absorb the drug faster so it 'hits' you more strongly). Still, it usually takes more than an hour for the effects to set in, as opposed to smoking, where it takes a few minutes.

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Cannabis could also be consumed as a tea. THC is lipophilic and little water soluble ( few grams/liter), but enough to make a tea effective.

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The seeds of the plant, high in protein and fatty acids, are really appreciated by many birds. Contrary to popular belief, marijuana seeds are illegal under U.S. law, which declares "all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa" illegal.http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/agency/csa.htm This also includes sticks, stems and leaves.

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See Cooking with cannabis external links below.

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Vaporization

Usually with a vaporizer, cannabis can be heated to a temperature of about 365°F, at which the active ingredients are released into gaseous form with little or no burning of the plant material. With this method, the user does not inhale as many toxic chemicals that are byproducts of combustion. Combustion also breaks down more of the cannabinoids present in cannabis, although the concentrations of the various cannabinoids may be different from those in smoked cannabis. Some users claim to experience subtly different effects when using cannabis in this way. In addition, users note an improved ability to distinguish subtle characteristics of flavor and aroma, in absence of lighter gas fumes or burnt matter.

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