What is Marijuana or Cannabis [Bhaang] ?
Marijuona commonly known as Bhaang or Ganja in India. Bhaang is a term widely in India which refers to number of intoxicating products made from cannabis. It is a green, brown and grey mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the Hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Bhaang has been used as an intoxicant for centuries in the Indian sub-continent. In India and Nepal, it is used during some Hindu occasions like the Holi festival, where consuming bhaang is a standard practice at that time. There are number of other names viz. pot, dope, weed, grass, ganja and chronic. The historian Richard Davenport-Hines lists Thomas Bowrey as the first non-Indian to document the use of bhaang to the World.
In Western Countries, it is generally smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints or sometimes in emptied-out cigars called blunts. It can also be smoked from a pipe or bong (a water pipe). Some people ingest it with food or drink. It contains hundreds of chemical compounds.
What constitute Marijuana ?
The main ingredient which is also a main cause of intoxication, is Tetra-9-hydrocannabinol (THC). Hashish (hash) is made from the concentrated resin or sap of the hemp plant. Its THC content is higher than marijuana. It’s generally smoked from a pipe or bong but can also be added to a joint or a regular cigarette.Marijuana in Indian History
People are using Bhaang in India since Vedic times, and is an integral part of Hindu culture. Sadhus and Sufis use Bhang to boost meditation and to achieve transcendental states. Bhang or cannabis is also used amongst Sufis as an aid to spiritual ecstasy.The Nihang sect of the Sikh community consume bhang for pain relief from battle wounds. In Sikhism, it is strictly prohibited to consume for pleasure, a rule which is followed very loyally. It started as an ayurvedic medicine whose main use for the Nihangs was to aid in reducing pain from battle wounds, and also as a digestive aid, called Sukhnidhan
Immediate Effects of Marijuana
It affects the central nervous system in two ways: as a hallucinogen and as a depressant. If you eat or drink marijuana, it usually takes longer to feel the effects, but the effects will be stronger and last longer than when smoking it because then THC is absorbed into the fatty tissues of your body. You then feel high, which can range from feelings of calm and happiness to feeling silly and giddy or anxious. When taking high doses, it’s even possible to experience hallucinations. The high usually lasts from 2 to 4 hours but THC is detectable in your body for up to 15 days.Cannabis can be much more potent today than in the past due to cultivation techniques and genetic engineering to increase its THC content. Its effects may be more intense as a result. THC is naturally found in cannabis in concentrations ranging from 0.5%-3%. With more sophisticated growing techniques the concentration of THC has been increased to 6%- 30%.
Medical Harms
Smoking marijuana has the potential to be more harmful than cigarettes. Although it does not contain nicotine, it does contain 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic compounds, including tar, than cigarettes. It also produces high levels of a particular enzyme which converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic or malignant forms. Its smoke is clearly more carcinogenic than cigarette smoke, it is difficult to predict whether actual incidence rates of induced cancers are likely to be as high as they are for cigarettes. Some of its harms include: - Effects of smoke on lungs [Smoking] - Immune system effects [Drinking, Eating, Smoking] - Pregnancy [Drinking, Eating, Smoking] - Mild depression, anxious or panic feelings, irritability - Distorted perceptions and hallucinationsSome Myths About Marijuana
1. Marijuana is harmless. No, it is equally harmful as other drugs, it causes memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, and anxiety.
2. It is not addictive. It was once believed that it was not addictive; many people still believe this to be the case. But recent research shows that use of the drug can indeed lead to dependence.
3. It is not as harmful to your health as tobacco. People think of it as a benign natural herb, the drug actually contains many of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco.
4. It is used to treat cancer and other diseases. It is true that THC, the primary active chemical in marijuana, can be useful for treating some medical problems. Synthetic THC is the main ingredient in Marinol but still there persists doubts behind this belief.
About Recent Researches
1. Harvard University researchers report that the risk of heart attack is five times higher than usual in the hour after smoking marijuanaa.
2. The National Institute of Health, America found that a person who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as much tar and cancer-causing chemicals into their lungs as someone who smokes a pack of cigarettes every day.
3. Smoking the weed weakens the immune system and raises the risk of lung infections.
4. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, America found that critical skills related to attention, memory and learning are significantly impaired among the users, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.
5. Its use has been linked with depression and suicidal thoughts in addition to schizophrenia. Its use doubles the risk of developing depression and triples the incidence of suicidal thoughts among youth.
6. Researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have identified the potential for the smoking during pregnancy to damage the fetal brain, exerting adverse effects on nerve cells that could potentially impose life-long cognitive and motor deficits.
Detailed Report on Marijuana :
Marijuana Facts
1. It was actually used for medicinal purposes in Ancient China, to treat the 'illness' of absent-mindedness.
2. Marijuana is illegal but has never caused any direct deaths from use. Cigarettes and alcohol kills millions yet both are legal and found everywhere.
3. Marijuana is safer than peanuts.
4. It is now being used to treat Post Traumatic Stress disorder along with several other anxiety disorders.
5. It is proven to slow down tumor growth, especially in the lungs, breast, and brain.
6. Marijuana smoking is illegal but it is Pain Reliever & Anti-Depressant in the world. Cigarette smoking is legal but it is cause of death in the world.
7. Marijuana usage prior to sex for both the male and the female has been known to increase sexual pleasure.
8. Sex and marijuana taken in conduction can help prevent migraines.
9. It was used as a "truth serum" on the people under investigation, by an American intelligence agency, in the early 1940s.
10. It helps people focus more.
11. It improves creativity.
12. A new marijuana-flavored soda is being produced.
13. Marijuana is not a gateway drug but cigarettes are. Studies show cigarette smokers are 68% more likely to do hard drugs than pot smokers.
14. In America, more than 40 percent of teens try the weed before they graduate from high school.
15. It is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States.
16. It has adverse effects on many of the skills required for driving a car. Driving while high can lead to car accidents.
17. In 2008, marijuana was reported in over 374,000 emergency
department visits in the involving people between the ages of 12 and 17.
18. It is addictive. About 1 in 11 people who try it, and 25–50 percent of those who use it every day, become addicted to marijuana.
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