Cannabis sativa and cannabis indica are part of the nettle family and have been cultivated as far back as the 3rd millennium BC. Cannabis sativa and indica are grown for different purposes such as recreational use and medical reasons. Cannabis can come in form of marijuana, hashish and hash oil, and they all contain the substance delta-9-THC. This is the substance that causes one to get ‘high’ or feel ‘stoned’. The most common form of cannabis is marijuana which is a mixture of dried leaves and flowers usually smoked with tobacco as a ‘joint’, making it the least concentrated.
Further research has proven cannabis as a harmless drug, as research shows there is no such thing as an over dose of marijuana. The only way to have a toxic amount of delta-9-THC is by smoking up to 15000 ‘joints’ in 20 minutes. On the other hand research performed by the NHS show legal recreational drugs such as alcohol, are more damaging to the human body than that of marijuana. Any alcohol severing over 400mg can result in severe breathing complications, coma and even death. This proves marijuana as a safer recreational drug than alcohol.
Cannabis is not an addictive drug if smoked raw, on the hand;
alcohol and tobacco have been proven addictive. Many people suffer from alcohol
abuse
according to the NIAAA, as most alcoholics in withdrawal are
most likely to suffer from depression, insomnia, nausea, fever and sometimes
seizures. However the research published by USC and SUNY Albany in 2005 has supported
that occasional and regular marijuana users have less levels of depressive
indications.