Like many, I enjoy learning new facts about anything and everything. Because of my career and my passion for the 'erb, perhaps my favourite thing to learn about is - you've guessed it - cannabis. There's just so much to learn about! I actually launched an educational video series on my Youtube channel a while back which focused on this area.
The video in this Steemit post features 5 cannabis facts you may not know (let me know if you do!). It is one of the first videos I created for youtube and it's fun to look back on now and see how much I've changed, although the information in the video remains relevent!
Here's the video (information below if you'd rather read about it)
Where does the term Marijuana come from?
Marijuana comes from the Spanish word for cannabis: “Maruhuana” and was popularised by Harry J Anslinger in the US, because it sounded exotic and therefore potentially dangerous.This attempt to criminalise cannabis users in light of alcohol being lawful once again led to a lot of anti-cannabis propaganda, including the famous film ‘reefer madness’
Where does the word Cannabis come from?
The word cannabis actually comes from the Greek kannabis, which is from a Scythian or Thracian word.Kannabis is also the source for English word ‘canvas’. which isn’t surprising as canvas would have traditionally be made from hemp!
Historically, what was hemp used for?
We know from sources that hemp was mainly grown for its fibre, which was then used to make sails, ropes, fishing nets and clothes. Old clothes were recycled into paper. Oil was produced from the seeds and was burned in lamps.In the early sixteenth century hemp was re-introduced and its growth recommended by the state in England. Large quantities of hemp were needed to supply the English navy, and Henry the Eighth actually ordered his subjects to grow hemp.Interestingly The first law in the American colonies regarding Cannabis was a 1619 law that required farmers to grow the hemp plant.
What is CBD?
You may be familiar with THC, which is a cannabinoid found in cannabis that is responsible for the ‘high’ it gives when consumed. CBD is another cannabinoid found in Cannabis which has been proven to have great medicinal value for a number of conditions.CBD has been shown in cases to inhibit cancer cell growth, reduce seizures and convulsion, reduce inflammation, reduce nausea, receive anxiety and lots more. There are several medical applications for CBD and its use has been well-documented recently in the US where high CBD / low THC strains are being bred by scientists to treat children with a form of epilepsy called Dravet SyndromeCBD is not a controlled substance here in the UK, which means that you can legally purchase CBD oil and extract in a variety of forms online.
You can purchase CBD oil which is grown from Dutch Medicinal Cannabis strains, and therefore contains the entire cannabinoid spectrum (with trace or no THC), rather than isolated CBD.Despite the medical benefits of CBD which include treatment for anxiety, epilepsy and more.
How Much Cannabis Would Kill You?
Unlike alcohol, or indeed most drugs, cannabis is not toxic. This means you can ingest vast quantities without poisoning yourself.At present it is estimated that marijuana’s LD-50 is somewhere between 1:20,000 to 1:40,000. This means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. The results suggested that fifteen-hundred pounds would need to be consumed in a very, very short space of time – approximately 15 minutes, and this itself would lead to suffocation before dying from the cannabis consumption.tumblr_mboo7cLMp91ri8dr4o1_500
This was one of two in our cannabis facts series that I made. Let me know what you think of this, and depending how popular it is, I'll post and write up the second lot of facts and then continue the series on Steemit if you guys like this sort of content.
Useful Links and cannabis facts sources:
CBD Brothers https://cbdbrothers.com
TEDx Talk – The surprising story of medical marijuana and pediatric epilepsy | Josh Stanley
Medical Marijuana: The Entourage Effect http://www.leafscience.com/2014/09/11/medical-marijuana-entourage-effect/
Study – Cannabis users would need to consume 1500 Pounds in 15 minutes to die from toxicity http://www.ccguide.org/young88.php
