According to various dictionaries, Cannabis (coming from the Greek word “kannabis”) is:
1. A tall annual dioecious plant (Cannabis Sativa), native to Central Asia and having alternate palmate divided leaves and tough bast fibers.
2. The most commonly used illicit drug; considered a soft drug, it consists of the dried leaves of hemp plant; smoked or chewed for euphoric effects.
Synonyms: hemp, ganja, marihuana, marijuana, Acapulco Gold, Mexican Green, dope, gage, green goddess, sens, sess, Mary Jane, loco weed, skunk, weed, grass, smoke, pot.
When talked about it as a drug, Cannabis is a psychoactive substance, but also a medicine, prepared from the Cannabis Sativa Plant. The main psychoactive ingredient is THC – tetrahydrocannabinol, one of the 483 substances contained by the plant. Still, this is not the only one with psychoactive properties: CBD – cannabidioil, CBN – cannabinol, THCV – tetrahydrocannabivarin, CBC – cannabigerol. Its earliest usage records date back to the year 3000 BC, but even if it is used with medicinal purposes, Cannabis is an illegal drug in most countries of the world. The UN estimates indicated in 2004 that approximately 4% of the world’s adult population is using Cannabis for recreational purposes annually and that almost 0.6% (over 25 million people) uses it daily. Many misconceptions and myths go around the world about Cannabis and here are the most common ones…
#1 – Storage In Fat Cells With Long-Term Side-Effects
Myth: The active ingredient THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) remains stored for days and even weeks in the body’s fat cells, affecting the consumer for the entire period.
Truth: Yes, THC remains stored in body fat, but there are only traces that make it identifiable, without having the psychoactive properties present during active consumption. In order to verify if cannabis really stays and affects the human body, Leirer, Yesavage and Morrow conducted several flight simulator studies to verify the performance within 24 hours after drug consumption. The differences were less than those caused by aging and significantly less than those produced by alcohol consumption. This has proven that the psychoactive effects of Cannabis only last up to maximum 6 hours after consumption, if there is no abuse or intoxication.