Marijuana
I am reading the chapter 3 of “The Botany of Desire” – Desire: intoxication/Plant: Marijuana. I just realized how ignorant I had been about marijuana, almost in every aspect of it - its botany, its genetics, its history, and its politics. Now I am writing down some of the botanic and genetic facts I just learned about this plant.
1. Marijuana and hemp came from the same plant species - Cannabis, but have been domesticated and exploited by human for two totally different purposes. Marijuana contains a high level of THC, a psychoactive compound, and has been used as a recreational drug. Hemp has been used in the paper or textile industries because of its abundance and strength of fiber. Marijuana and hemp have diverged in evolution due to the artificial selection made by human.
2. There are three varieties of Cannabis, which are adapted to different geographic locations. These varieties have been extensively crossed to produce hybrids with high THC, distinct tastes/flavors, or other desirable traits.
3. Cannabis has remarkable genetic flexibility, which has been extensively explored by human. It has been transformed by human’s ingenuity to a plant remarkably different from its ancestor.
4. THC, the active ingredient found in Cannabis, is similar to an endogenous compound in human, which plays a variety of roles, such as pain relief, short memory loss, emotion, et al.
