Portal:Cannabis/Selected article/2008
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[edit] Weeks in 2008
- Week 10
Hemp (from Old English hænep, see cannabis (etymology)) is the common name for plants of the entire family of Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug) use. Hemp is cultivated virtually everywhere in the world except for the United States, and its cultivation in western countries is growing steadily. For example, Canadian Hempseed exports surged 300% last year, according to VoteHemp. China, and other eastern countries, never prohibited its cultivation and use it extensively.
- Week 11
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML, pronounced "normal") is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization whose aim is to "move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of cannabis prohibition so that the responsible use of this drug by adults is no longer subject to penalty." According to their website, NORML "supports the removal of all criminal penalties for the private possession and responsible use of marijuana by adults, including the cultivation for personal use, and the casual nonprofit transfers of small amounts," and "supports the development of a legally controlled market for cannabis."
- Week 13
A bong, also commonly known as a water pipe, is a smoking device, generally used to smoke cannabis, tobacco, or other substances. The construction of a bong and its principle of action is similar to that of the hookah, which is also called "water pipe". Smoking a bong contrasts with smoking a pipe or cigarette in two major ways: bongs cool the smoke before it enters the user’s lungs (making it easier to smoke), and a large amount of smoke is inhaled quickly as opposed to the smaller, more frequent, inhalations of pipe and cigarette smoking.
- Week 18
White Widow is a strain of cannabis. It has won the Cannabis Cup and is named for the abundance of trichomes, giving the plant a whitish tint. White Widow is an indica/sativa cross-strain.
- Week 19
Medical cannabis refers to the use of the drug cannabis as a physician-recommended herbal therapy, most notably as an antiemetic.
There are many studies regarding the use of cannabis in a medicinal context. Cannabis was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942. The United States federal government does not currently recognize any legitimate medical use, although there are currently seven patients receiving cannabis for their various illnesses through the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program that was closed to new patients in 1991 by the George H. W. Bush administration. Francis L. Young, an administrative law judge with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, in 1988, declared that "in its natural form, [cannabis] is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known." However, smoked cannabis is today not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Twelve state laws currently allow for the medicinal use of cannabis but the United States Supreme Court has later ruled that the federal government has the right to regulate and criminalize marijuana also in these states, even for medical purposes.
- Week 20
The French inhale is a trick one can perform while smoking. One takes a deep drag, then while the mouth is open and smoke is wafting out, one inhales through the nose, thus inhaling the smoking drifting from the mouth. Some people refer to this trick as an Irish Waterfall because the smoke appears to be flowing uphill (a reference to the old jokes that anything Irish is backwards).
This trick is often performed in conjunction with the smoke ring
- Week 21
Joint is slang for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Usually, rolling papers are used in industrialized countries, while in the developing world, brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, or newspaper are often used. Blunt cigar paper is also used to roll marijuana, after the tobacco is discarded. Some papers used for rolling are made of rice paper. Some manufacturers use hemp as an alternative. One of the newest innovation in joint-rolling technology has been the introduction of transparent cellulose-based rolling papers. For more details see clear rolling papers.
