What is Cannabis?

Cannabis sativa, also known as the hemp plant, has been cultivated for centuries for industrial and medical use, and for its “psychoactive,” or mind-altering, effects. Marijuana, hashish and hashish oil all derive from the cannabis plant.

More than 61 chemicals, called cannabinoids, have been identified as specific to the cannabis plant. THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main psychoactive cannabinoid, and is most responsible for the “high” associated with marijuana use.

Hemp grown for industrial use has very low levels of THC. Hemp fibres are used to make rope, fabric and paper. Hemp seeds are high in protein and yield an oil with nutritional and industrial value.

Many claims about the medical uses of marijuana have not been scientifically proven; however, some have. In Canada, THC and other pure cannabinoids are available in three prescription medications:

• Marinol (dronabinol) is synthetic THC and Cesamet (nabilone) is another synthetic cannabinoid. Both are prescribed to relieve nausea and vomiting and to stimulate appetite. This can help people who have AIDS or who take drugs used to treat cancer.
• Sativex, the world's first prescription medicine derived from the cannabis plant, was approved in Canada in 2005 for the relief of pain in multiple sclerosis. Sativex is a combination of THC and cannabidiol.

Click here to read the rest of the The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) “Do You Know” pamphlet on Cannabis.