10 Interesting Facts About Marijuana That You Probably Never Knew

interesting facts about marijuana

Puff. Puff. Pass.

Marijuana etiquette is alive and well today. As more states continue to legalize adult-use of marijuana, the general population is learning more and more about its uses. The widespread use of marijuana also is piquing many people’s curiosity.

So, naturally, interesting facts about marijuana are emerging.

No longer is using marijuana taboo. It is also becoming less associated with criminals and hippies. Using marijuana is slowly becoming a part of the normal culture.

This movement is leading average Joe’s to question, “should I try it?” Without the stigma and threat of jail time, people are opening their minds to marijuana and its benefits.

Curious to learn more interesting facts about marijuana? Read on to find out more and to expand your marijuana knowledge.

10 Interesting Facts About Marijuana That Will Impress Your Friends

Marijuana is a close relative to the Hemp Plant. What distinguishes marijuana from the hemp plant is the THC compound. This compound produces the psychoactive effect often associated with the giggles and an insatiable appetite.

But not everyone reacts to marijuana the same. Explore the following interesting facts about marijuana to learn more about its history and uses.

1. Gender Differences

A study of rats found that females react differently to THC than males. The females who were exposed to THC had a higher tolerance. They also found that female rats were more sensitive to the effects of THC.

Researchers also discovered the female rats were most sensitive to THC during ovulation. They speculate this is because of high levels of estrogen.

Ironically, women are excluded from marijuana studies because of their fluctuating hormones.

Studies about men conclude that they are more likely to get the “munchies.”

2. Hollywood or Hollyweed?

Hollywood has been renamed twice. Well, not legally. But both times its name changed to “Hollyweed.”

Some pranksters achieved the name change using the famous Hollywood sign. Using tarps, they changed the “o’s” to “e’s.” The first time this occurred was in 1976 and the last time was in 2017.

Very clever, “inweed”.

3. Truth Serum

Everything is good in moderation, right? Well, for some World War II prisoners, even a little marijuana could get them talking. Marijuana was given to prisoners as a tactic for provoking them to tell the truth.

The agency which eventually formed into the CIA provided detainees with cigarettes laced with marijuana. This agency also experimented with other drugs during WWII to determine which drugs were effective “truth serums.”

4. Weed and Juliet

“O Weed, Weed, wherefore art thou Weed?” If only Shakespeare’s classic was written this way.

Many people speculate that Shakespeare wrote some of his most famous pieces while under the influence of marijuana. The evidence supporting this conclusion are pipes found in his garden containing cannabis and the mention of weed in one of his sonnets.

5. Help with PTSD

Veterans returning from combat and everyday civilians can suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can cause flashbacks, panic attacks, and nightmares. It can seriously diminish one’s quality of life, but marijuana has helped some to deal with the symptoms.

Marijuana can disturb the sleep cycle in which serious nightmares occur. It decreases the instances of serious nightmares allowing PTSD sufferers to get more and better quality sleep.

Marijuana also helps to control the system responsible for producing fear and anxiety. PTSD is the number reason people with PTSD in New Mexico seek a medical marijuana license.

6. Improved Lung Function

It’s logical to assume that smoking anything inhibits lung function. But, the opposite is true for marijuana according to a study published in 2012.

This study found that smoking marijuana could not only improve lung function but also reverse the effects of smoking tobacco. It also increased the participants’ lung capacity. Researchers believe this is because of the way marijuana is smoked instead of any chemical present in the drug.

7. Cancer Reduction

“Stop! In the name of love!”

Like Diana Ross calling out to her lover, CBD present in marijuana and the hemp plant stopped the spread of cancer. It achieved this by shutting off the gene Id-1.

Marijuana proved to also slow down the growth of tumors in the brain, lungs, and breasts.

8. Heart Problems? Beware

As effective as marijuana is for many health conditions, it isn’t useful for heart problems. Marijuana can speed up your heart rate and increase your blood pressure. This puts additional strain on your heart making it a bad choice for people with heart conditions.

9. Name That Pot!

Ever wonder how strains of pot are named? Is there a magical formula that dictates the latest and greatest high?

According to marijuana seed producers, there is no magical formula. Instead, the strains are created then smoked. A name brainstorming session then takes place while the pot is being smoked provoking some intriguing names.

Names like “Maui Waui” from Hawaii and “Purple Haze” are typically inspired by experiencing the drug firsthand.

10. When in Rome

Italy is a historically rich country with many tourist attractions and monuments. But, did you know that traces of marijuana and other drugs were discovered in the air?

Although traces of marijuana can be found in the air, you won’t get a contact high. These findings, however, do help researchers to know where different drug use is occurring and how much.

Enjoy These Interesting Facts About Marijuana?: How to Find a Dispensary

These interesting facts about marijuana will help you to get the conversation going at your next party. But, you can’t have a party without first finding a dispensary. For starters, marijuana needs to be legal in your state.

If your medical marijuana is legal in your state, then you must have the proper documentation. This can include a referral from your doctor, a state ID, and a completed application.

If you live in a state that’s legalized adult-use, then all you need to do is conduct a Google Search. Make note of the reviews of each dispensary to find the best product.

Speak with the dispensary owner or workers directly to determine which strain and product are right for you. For example, you can purchase marijuana products in a cookie, gummy bear, or smoking forms.

Interested in finding a dispensary? Contact us today to learn more about our products and to learn how to reach our dispensary.

An Important Debate: Should Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?

medical marijuana

Medical marijuana is legal in 33 U.S. States, as of May 2019. 

Ever since the State of California first proposed the legalization of marijuana in 1996, there have been numerous debates on the matter.

Proponents for the legalization proclaim the numerous medical benefits of using the plant while those opposing it states that there aren’t enough studies yet to prove that the drug is indeed beneficial for medical use.

So, should medical marijuana be legalized? This article aims to find out.

What is Medical Marijuana?

This refers to the use of chemicals in the marijuana plant to treat various conditions and diseases.

The marijuana plant has more than 100 different chemicals known as cannabinoids. For purely medical purposes, cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol are the most widely utilized cannabinoid.

THC is the chemical that causes the ‘high’ that people get when they use the marijuana plant.

Why Has Legalizing Medical Marijuana Been a Problem?

The main reason why medical marijuana has not been approved in all states is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Department (FDA) has not officially recognized it as a medicine.

For the FDA to legalize a drug, the drug needs to go through thousands of carefully conducted clinically tests and trials so as to have a concrete conclusion that the drug is indeed beneficial.

Nonetheless, in spite of the success that medical marijuana has been having in managing numerous diseases, there haven’t been enough large-scale clinical trials done in order to meet the FDA threshold.

Why Hasn’t More Research Been Done?

In the 1930s, marijuana was criminalized with the primary motives being political, not medical. The plant was quite popular among the Blacks and Mexicans, and thus, it became yet another tool for exerting control.

As a result, marijuana was classified under schedule I drugs by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The Schedule I drug category is the one that contains drugs such as Heroin, LSD, and Ecstasy. Drugs that are highly addictive while having no medical value.

Being in such a category means that it is difficult for researchers to obtain official permits to clinically study and test the drug.

As a result, medical marijuana is unable to meet the threshold required by the FDA so it can be approved.

As such, the federal government is coming in the way of letting people have access to a drug that has been proven to help them. After all, why would over 50 percent of the states legalize it if it is that dangerous?

Uses of Medical Marijuana

In spite of efforts to demonize marijuana, over 60 percent of Americans are in favor of legalizing the drug. The following are some of the ways in which medical marijuana helps various conditions.

Effective in Relieving Vomiting and Nausea

Various studies have shown that medical marijuana is effective at decreasing nausea caused by chemical therapy when treating cancer. It also eliminates vomiting completely.

Relieving Muscle Spasticity

Medical marijuana is also effective at helping relieve the spasticity of the muscles. A condition that is associated with paralysis and multiple sclerosis.

Managing Chronic Pain and Illnesses

Marijuana has been found to be useful in treating types of chronic pain such as neuropathic pain. Additionally, medical cannabis is a lot safer than medicines that are commonly prescribed to treat such conditions.

For instance, medical marijuana can be used in place of opioids for pain management. This is because opioids are highly addictive and thus, are not good long-term solutions. This makes them not ideal for chronic pain.

Marijuana also helps treat appetite loss that comes with chronic diseases such as cancers and HIV/AIDS.

Seizure Disorders

It was only recently that it was discovered that medical marijuana can help control seizure disorders.

The drug used to treat the condition is known as Epidiolex. This drug is made from marijuana and is used to treat severe and hard-to-treat seizures.

Beyond the Medical Benefits

Marijuana provides more than medical benefits. The following are other reasons why the drug should be legalized.

Money

While the most compelling reason for legalizing cannabis is for its medical benefits, another reason we should consider legalizing it is the monetary gains to be earned from it.

By being made legal, the government will be able to tax it.

A good example is the state of Colorado. Since legalizing medical marijuana in 2014, the state has been able to pull in over half a billion dollars, and this number is increasing exponentially.

Other research indicates that the marijuana industry will have created about 283,422 jobs by 2020. To put that into context, those are more jobs than the manufacturing, utility, and government sectors will have created; combined!

And because the bulk of the U.S economy is driven by consumption, more jobs will yield more disposable income for consumers.

Moreover, taxpayers will not have to pay for court costs for the thousands of individuals that are arrested every day for being in possession of marijuana. This money can be used for useful projects.

Quality

If marijuana remains illegal, it allows drug cartels to run rampant. With over 25 million people using the plant annually, all bets are off regarding the place they obtain their marijuana.

By legalizing it, the government will be in control of the drug’s quality as people will be purchasing from certified vendors. Failure to do so means getting it off the street where quality assurance is a myth.

How to Get Medical Marijuana

To obtain medical marijuana, you must first be in a state that has legalized it.

Secondly, you must get a written recommendation from a licensed doctor. Additionally, you must have a medical condition that warrants medical marijuana use.

Nonetheless, each state has its own set of qualifying conditions. You may also need to obtain a medical marijuana ID card. Once you got the card, you can visit a medical marijuana dispensary to purchase the product.

Should Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?

For thousands of years, our forefathers used marijuana not only for recreational purposes but also for medical reasons.

However, during the last century, the plant was made illegal for no concrete reasons thus barring those who needed it the most from getting it.

Fortunately, cooler heads are prevailing, and medical marijuana is well on its way to being made legal across all states. So, should medical marijuana be legalized? For the sake of those who need it; it should!

Looking for medical marijuana? The Laughing Grass is a licensed marijuana dispensary that serves people looking for quality-checked cannabis products. Contact us today, and we will recommend the most appropriate product for you.

History of Cannabis: How Well Do You Know Your Favorite Plant?

Marijuana in a grow room under lights

It’s estimated that almost 183 million people around the world use marijuana.

That makes it the most widely used drug in the world. And the abundance of cannabis is nothing new – the history dates back 1000s of years.

To say you know everything about cannabis, you have to know more than the different strains. A true connoisseur knows the full marijuana background story.

If you think you know everything there is to know, check your knowledge with this guide to everything about cannabis and its history.

Ancient History

Evidence of industrial and medicinal use of cannabis dates back to ancient civilizations.

Pottery fragments found in Taiwan dating back 10,000 years contain hemp fabrics. In ancient China, the plant made clothing, sails, rope. The seeds were a form of food.

Medical textbooks dating to 2800 BC talk about the powerful medicinal properties of cannabis. And in Siberia, burnt cannabis has been found near burial mounds that date to 3000 BC.

This evidence had led researchers to believe that the plant was originally cultivated in Central Asia. From there, it spread to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. But the modern history of marijuana in the Western world didn’t begin until the late 1700s.

Marijuana in the Western World

Carl Linnaeus was the first person to give cannabis a taxonomic identification. In 1753, he identified the cannabis sativa plant. 32 years later, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck classified cannabis indica.

The third species, ruderalis, wasn’t classified until 1924. But before then, the first clinical trials of cannabis had already taken place.

William O’Shaughnessy is credited with bringing cannabis into the minds of the Western world in the first half of the 19th century. In his case reports on the plant known as “gunjah” in India, he described in detail the effects of the drug to the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta. He was also the first person to conduct trials of cannabis tinctures on mice, rabbits, cats, and dogs.

In Europe, use of the drug became popular as Napolean’s troops left Egypt and returned to Europe. And in the Americas, the use of cannabis extract as a medicine saw its height in the 1800s.

The Legal Marijuana Background

The US had very little regulation over cannabis before the 1930s. Over the course of that decade, 24 states passed laws banning marijuana. During the 30s, cannabis also became illegal at the federal level.

In 1930, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was launched and began a strong campaign against marijuana. By 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act decreed the illegality of cannabis with the exception of medicinal use.  And by the 1950s, a first-time offense for possession of marijuana carried 2-10 years imprisonment and a fine of $20,000.

Marijuana, Hemp and Cannabis

Marijuana is often used as a catch-all term for cannabis. In reality, it’s a slang term that describes only some parts and varieties of the Cannabis plant. The differences between the two are important in relation to the legality of cannabis in the US today.

The cannabis plant itself has three main species. These are the cannabis sativa, cannabis indica, and cannabis ruderalis plants. While the former two species are typically used recreationally, the latter refers to hemp.

The confusion between hemp and marijuana stems from the fact that they’re both derived from cannabis, but they have different uses and properties.

The cannabis plant contains over 100 different cannabinoids. Of the most well-known and studied are THC and CBD. THC has psychoactive properties that are associated with the “high” of marijuana, whereas CBD is a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid with its own host of benefits.

Marijuana typically refers to the psychoactive derivatives of cannabis that contain high amounts of THC. Hemp, on the other hand, is cannabis that’s grown for industry and contains low amounts of THC and high amounts of CBD.

While the leaves, flowers, buds, and stems of cannabis indica and sativa are used for smoking, eating, and brewing, hemp has historically been used for oils, food, and even beauty products.

Although both have been grown for millennia, they’ve been harvested for different purposes. This differentiation affects how the federal government regulates them today.

Marijuana Today

In 2014, the Agricultural Act made it legal for state departments and institutions of higher education to do research with hemp. Then, in 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act gave states the authority to regulate hemp research and production. The federal laws governing regular cannabis use, however, are quite different.

Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act. As such, the federal government considers amongst other dangerous illicit drugs with no medicinal value and a high potential for abuse, such as cocaine and heroin. Its possession, consumption, and sale carry heavy penalties.

But at the state level, 29 states have legalized medicinal cannabis and others have legalized recreational cannabis for adult use. The federal government continues to enforce laws within its jurisdiction while allowing states to have authority over these initiatives.

The Future of Marijuana

As public attitudes and laws regarding cannabis have evolved, cannabis has grown immensely. In fact, the cannabis industry is projected to be over $24 billion US by 2025.

At the same time, the research into the medicinal benefits of cannabis is promising. Research into cannabinoids such as CBD has shown positive, medicinal effects such as pain, stress, and anxiety relief as well as anti-inflammation.

The way we look at cannabis has changed over the last 100 years. Today, the industry is supported by important health organizations like The American Public Health Association and The American Cancer Society. And with just over 60% of the public in favor of legalization, the marijuana industry is thriving.

Everything About Cannabis and More

The marijuana background story began in ancient civilizations, where it was used for industrial and medicinal purposes. Having made its way to the Americas in the late 19th century, penalties for its use, sale, and production were passed at the state and federal level throughout the 1930s.

But most recently, the health and wellbeing benefits of cannabis have become more widely accepted. And as the industry grows, so does support for its use.

In need of some cannabis yourself? Make sure to stop by our dispensary.