Cannabis (drug)

For the plant, see Cannabis.

For other uses, see Cannabis (disambiguation).

Cannabis, also known as marijuana, weed, sativa, and indica (as well as other names)^[a] is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational reasons.^[18][19][20] (in legalized states). The main part of cannabis that causes its effects is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of the 483 known chemical compounds in the plant,^[21] including at least 65 other cannabinoids, which are chemicals only found in Cannabis.^[22] Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.

Cannabis
Close-up of flowering cannabis plant
Product name	Cannabis
Pronunciation	(cannabis) /ˈkænəbɪs/ (marijuana) /ˌmærəˈwɑːnə/[1]
Source plant(s)	Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, Cannabis ruderalis
Part(s) of plant	Flower and fruit
Geographic origin	Central Asia and Indian subcontinent[2]
Active ingredients	Tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabinol, tetrahydrocannabivarin
Main producers	Afghanistan,[3] Canada,[4] China, Colombia,[5] India,[3] Jamaica,[3] Lebanon,[6] Mexico,[7] Morocco,[3] Netherlands, Pakistan, Paraguay,[7] Spain,[3] Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom,[8] United States[3]
Legal status	AU: S9 (Prohibited substance) CA: Unscheduled DE: Medical cannabis from state-controlled production: Anlage III, other cannabis: I UK: Class B US: Schedule I (legal recreationally in 24 states & DC; medically legal in 39 states) UN: Narcotic Schedule I

Cannabis is mostly used recreationally or medically although like other psychoactive drugs it may also be used for spiritual purposes. In 2013, between 128 and 232 million people used cannabis (2.7% to 4.9% of the global population between the ages of 15 and 65).^[23] It is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world,^[23][24] though it is legal in some areas. The places it is used most are (as of 2018^[update]) Zambia, the United States, Canada, and Nigeria.^[source?] It is illegal in most of the world.

Marijuana plants are split into 3 categories: sativa, indica, and hybrid. A hybrid is a mixture of Sativa and Indica. Sativa is a mild stimulant whilst indica is a mild depressant.

Notes

1. Also referred to as marihuana, pot, weed, dope, and ganja /ˈɡɑːndʒə/,^{[9][10][11][12]} among many other nicknames (grass, herb, skunk, Mary Jane, etc.).^{[13][14][15][16][17]}