A literal child of the Sixties, I wasn't old enough to meet Mary Jane until the early 1970's. We partied together a few times, but I wasn't impressed. She was a pretty cheap party pal back then; we had to sneak around in secret and she always left me feeling stupid, sleepy and hungry so we went our separate ways for over thirty years...
Ever been to a class reunion? I looked up good old Mary Jane recently. Boy, has she ever changed. If I hadn't known better, I would've sworn she wasn't even related to the Mary Jane of my nearly misspent youth! The truth is she'd been reborn; modified, fortified, hybridized and generally reinvented. Some of us who knew her way back have tried to renew the acquaintance based upon the girl we used to know. It didn't go well. The New Mary Jane makes the old Mary Jane look like the oregano sold to gullible kids of my generation. Buyer beware? You bet! Did I mention she has a serious problem with schizophrenia? She goes by dozens of names: pot, reefer, Ganja, dope, grass, bud, locoweed and on an on. She's been idolized and vilified, praised as a miraculous healer or damned as mankind's curse, capable of turning men into maniacal, machete-wielding murderers. They called this evil monster..."Marihuana".
Historically, Cannabis has been around a long, long time. Evidence of its medicinal use can be found in many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and the Chinese. Clay tablets originating from Mesopotamia and Assyria around 3000 B.C. make specific mention of its healing properties. But it had a myriad of other uses, too. The plant fibers were twisted into hemp rope, woven into strong canvas and wearable cloth. The seed was valued as a source of oil and, with its high protein content, food. The Spaniards imported cannabis seed to South America in the mid-1500's. It soon travelled northward. George Washington grew hemp. Thomas Jefferson not only grew it, he drafted the US Constitution on hemp paper. In fact, it was illegal NOT to grow cannabis in some parts of the new colonies. In 1942, the US government even made a film entitled Hemp For Victory to encourage farmers to grow the crop in support of the war effort during WWII. Today the US is the only industrialized nation banning cultivation.
So did our Founding Fathers smoke more in their pipes than tobacco? Who knows? Today's legal hemp seed contains less than 1% of THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) the psychoactive ingredient desired by those, unlike former president Bill Clinton, who want to inhale. Depending on who you ask hemp and marijuana are the same thing. Or not. Both are scientifically labelled Cannabis Sativa. The leaves and seeds of both appear identical, which should give a clue as to why our ailing farm industry cannot legally cultivate hemp in spite of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) Facts Page, listing the plant's many beneficial uses. Sounds like hemp could be the answer to many of the world's socioeconomic problems. Yeah, no way the American government would want to be a part of that. Nod, nod, wink, wink.
Where was I? Oh, yeah...
Logical thinking would lead you to believe that somehow, somewhere, man intervened in the evolution of marijuana. And we did. Today's science labels the three faces of Mary Jane as Cannabis Sativa, C. Indicia and C. Ruderalis. Hemp and wild cannabis are C. Sativa; commercial hemp seeds are sterilized to contain the legal 0.3% of THC. Natural occurring cannabis contains anywhere from ⅓ to ½ less THC than those produced for resale. The two primary classes of medical marijuana available today are Sativa and Indica. As near as I can discover, the latter is for relaxing while the former provides stimulation.
So two kinds now, right?
Wrong. There are hundreds upon hundreds — maybe thousands — of strains that have been, are being and will be developed. Google your symptoms or illness + "marijuana strain" and see what happens. Blueberry Yum Yum? Death Star? And who, in their right mind, wants to smoke something named "Jack Kevorkian" pot?!?
(Note: Are you suffering from a lack of creativity? I have it on really good authority that X15 chocolate Rice Krispy treats are a-m-a-a-a-a-a-z-ing. Or so I've heard...)
Medical marijuana farms are springing up across the US and Canada like, well, like weeds. It makes me think about old moonshiners with secret recipes and hidden stills. Ironically, pot and hooch were outlawed about the same time and now been given a limited pardon. The Hatfields and McCoys bottle legal White Lightnin' but it ain't cheap and can only be sold in West Virginia and if you have a prescription for medical marihuana you can try a strain of the same name. Old Devil Anse Hatfield must be laughing his arse off.
"It's not your granddad's pot...!" That would be "father's" pot in my case, but this sentiment is something you hear a lot in conversations about medical marijuana. Boomers have been admitted to the ER for cannabis intoxication. I don't think they can call it an "overdose" since pot affects everyone differently; your doctor can't say "smoke 2 bowls of Maui Wowie and call me in the morning".
Are we going to start seeing TV commercials for Alaskan Thunderf**k alongside Viagra?
Warning: May cause serious, sometimes uncontrollable side effects such as eating and laughing. Severe, Zen-like states have even occurred. Some patients have reported seeing pink elephants and engaging in long, serious conversations about nothing. Older patients with a previous exposure to the drug are strongly cautioned to resume usage at a MUCH smaller dosage than previously required...
My search to trace the evolution of marijuana has left me dazed and confused; unable to weed thru Mary Jane's deeply tangled historical roots and no closer to clearing the haze she hides behind. Obviously, it is a job for someone a little closer to the subject.
Good luck, intrepid explorer. Don't forget your papers...
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Guyvorce - The man's ultimate source for everything divorce
Author: Cateland White
Contact: Contact Us - Guyvorce
Website: The Evolution of Marijuana - Guyvorce
Ever been to a class reunion? I looked up good old Mary Jane recently. Boy, has she ever changed. If I hadn't known better, I would've sworn she wasn't even related to the Mary Jane of my nearly misspent youth! The truth is she'd been reborn; modified, fortified, hybridized and generally reinvented. Some of us who knew her way back have tried to renew the acquaintance based upon the girl we used to know. It didn't go well. The New Mary Jane makes the old Mary Jane look like the oregano sold to gullible kids of my generation. Buyer beware? You bet! Did I mention she has a serious problem with schizophrenia? She goes by dozens of names: pot, reefer, Ganja, dope, grass, bud, locoweed and on an on. She's been idolized and vilified, praised as a miraculous healer or damned as mankind's curse, capable of turning men into maniacal, machete-wielding murderers. They called this evil monster..."Marihuana".
Historically, Cannabis has been around a long, long time. Evidence of its medicinal use can be found in many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and the Chinese. Clay tablets originating from Mesopotamia and Assyria around 3000 B.C. make specific mention of its healing properties. But it had a myriad of other uses, too. The plant fibers were twisted into hemp rope, woven into strong canvas and wearable cloth. The seed was valued as a source of oil and, with its high protein content, food. The Spaniards imported cannabis seed to South America in the mid-1500's. It soon travelled northward. George Washington grew hemp. Thomas Jefferson not only grew it, he drafted the US Constitution on hemp paper. In fact, it was illegal NOT to grow cannabis in some parts of the new colonies. In 1942, the US government even made a film entitled Hemp For Victory to encourage farmers to grow the crop in support of the war effort during WWII. Today the US is the only industrialized nation banning cultivation.
So did our Founding Fathers smoke more in their pipes than tobacco? Who knows? Today's legal hemp seed contains less than 1% of THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) the psychoactive ingredient desired by those, unlike former president Bill Clinton, who want to inhale. Depending on who you ask hemp and marijuana are the same thing. Or not. Both are scientifically labelled Cannabis Sativa. The leaves and seeds of both appear identical, which should give a clue as to why our ailing farm industry cannot legally cultivate hemp in spite of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) Facts Page, listing the plant's many beneficial uses. Sounds like hemp could be the answer to many of the world's socioeconomic problems. Yeah, no way the American government would want to be a part of that. Nod, nod, wink, wink.
Where was I? Oh, yeah...
Logical thinking would lead you to believe that somehow, somewhere, man intervened in the evolution of marijuana. And we did. Today's science labels the three faces of Mary Jane as Cannabis Sativa, C. Indicia and C. Ruderalis. Hemp and wild cannabis are C. Sativa; commercial hemp seeds are sterilized to contain the legal 0.3% of THC. Natural occurring cannabis contains anywhere from ⅓ to ½ less THC than those produced for resale. The two primary classes of medical marijuana available today are Sativa and Indica. As near as I can discover, the latter is for relaxing while the former provides stimulation.
So two kinds now, right?
Wrong. There are hundreds upon hundreds — maybe thousands — of strains that have been, are being and will be developed. Google your symptoms or illness + "marijuana strain" and see what happens. Blueberry Yum Yum? Death Star? And who, in their right mind, wants to smoke something named "Jack Kevorkian" pot?!?
(Note: Are you suffering from a lack of creativity? I have it on really good authority that X15 chocolate Rice Krispy treats are a-m-a-a-a-a-a-z-ing. Or so I've heard...)
Medical marijuana farms are springing up across the US and Canada like, well, like weeds. It makes me think about old moonshiners with secret recipes and hidden stills. Ironically, pot and hooch were outlawed about the same time and now been given a limited pardon. The Hatfields and McCoys bottle legal White Lightnin' but it ain't cheap and can only be sold in West Virginia and if you have a prescription for medical marihuana you can try a strain of the same name. Old Devil Anse Hatfield must be laughing his arse off.
"It's not your granddad's pot...!" That would be "father's" pot in my case, but this sentiment is something you hear a lot in conversations about medical marijuana. Boomers have been admitted to the ER for cannabis intoxication. I don't think they can call it an "overdose" since pot affects everyone differently; your doctor can't say "smoke 2 bowls of Maui Wowie and call me in the morning".
Are we going to start seeing TV commercials for Alaskan Thunderf**k alongside Viagra?
Warning: May cause serious, sometimes uncontrollable side effects such as eating and laughing. Severe, Zen-like states have even occurred. Some patients have reported seeing pink elephants and engaging in long, serious conversations about nothing. Older patients with a previous exposure to the drug are strongly cautioned to resume usage at a MUCH smaller dosage than previously required...
My search to trace the evolution of marijuana has left me dazed and confused; unable to weed thru Mary Jane's deeply tangled historical roots and no closer to clearing the haze she hides behind. Obviously, it is a job for someone a little closer to the subject.
Good luck, intrepid explorer. Don't forget your papers...
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Guyvorce - The man's ultimate source for everything divorce
Author: Cateland White
Contact: Contact Us - Guyvorce
Website: The Evolution of Marijuana - Guyvorce
