Cannabis (/ˈkænəbɪs/) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: Cannabis sativa, C. indica, and C. ruderalis. Alternatively, C. ruderalis may be included within C. sativa, all three may be treated as subspecies of C. sativa, or C. sativa may be accepted as a single undivided species. The genus is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from Asia.
In 2008 Massachusetts voters decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Massachusetts became the eighteenth state to legalize medical marijuana when voters passed a ballot measure in 2012, even though the federal government still lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance with no medical value. Recreational marijuana is legal in Massachusetts as of December 15, 2016, following a ballot initiative in November of that year. (Full article...)
Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium in industrialized countries; however, brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, beedis with the tobacco removed, tracing paper, ATM receipts and newspaper are commonly used in some developing countries, and by poorer smokers in first world countries. Modern papers are now made in a range of sizes from a wide variety of materials including rice, hemp, and flax, and are also available in flavored varieties. A joint can vary in size, typically containing between 0.25 to 1 grams net weight of cannabis (joints have been rolled with 2 or more pounds but this is not a common practice) (depending on whether tobacco is used in the rolling process).
Image 7The Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE) from Ancient Egypt has a prescription for medical marijuana applied directly for inflammation. (from Medical cannabis)
Image 18Dense raceme of female flowers typical of drug-type varieties of Cannabis (from Cannabis)
Image 19The use of cannabis, at least as fiber, has been shown to go back at least 10,000 years in Taiwan. "Dà má" (Pinyin pronunciation) is the Chinese expression for cannabis, the first character meaning "big" and the second character meaning "hemp". (from Medical cannabis)
Image 20An advertisement for cannabis americana distributed by a pharmacist in New York in 1917 (from Medical cannabis)
Image 53The Chinese character for hemp (麻 or má) depicts two plants under a shelter. Notably, the same character also means "numb". Cannabis cultivation dates back at least 3000 years in Taiwan. (from History of cannabis)
... that according to his memoirs, Howard Marks concluded a drug deal at the Warwick Castle with half a consignment of Thai grass hidden in a car parked outside?
Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?