cannabis

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Dried leaves and female flowers (marijuana) and resin (hashish) of certain varieties of hemp, which are smoked or swallowed to produce a range of effects, including feelings of happiness and altered perception. (Cannabis sativa, family Cannabaceae.)

Cannabis is a soft drug in that any dependence is psychological rather than physical. However, the smoking of cannabis is thought to be as harmful to health, if not more so, as smoking tobacco. It is illegal in many countries and has not been much used in medicine since the 1930s. Growing cannabis is illegal in the UK and USA except under licence.

Cannabis is claimed to have beneficial effects in treating chronic diseases such as AIDS and multiple sclerosis. The main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is available legally as a prescribed drug in capsule form. In 1998 US researchers found that THC targets the same pain centres in the brain that morphine does, proving its usefulness in pain relief, and in November 1998, cannabis was legalized for medical use in six US states. Canada approved legislation for widespread medical use in August 2001.

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