Cannabis (also known as
marijuana or ganja in its
herbal form and hashish in its
resinous form) is a
psychoactive product of the
plant Cannabis sativa L.
subsp. indica (= C. indica
Lam.). The herbal form of the
drug consists of dried mature
inflorescences and subtending
leaves of pistillate ("female")
plants. The resinous form
consists primarily of glandular
trichomes collected from the
same plant material. It has
been reported that
commercial hashish is often
no more potent than high
quality seedless marijuana.
However, carefully produced
and screened hashish is up to
three times as potent as the
highest quality herbal
varieties.
The major biologically
active chemical compound in
cannabis is Δ9-
tetrahydrocannabinol, or tetra-
9-hydro-cannabinol,
commonly referred to as THC.
It has psychoactive and
physiological effects when
consumed, usually by
smoking or ingestion.
