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- Cannabis is dried leaves and female flowers,
- known as marijuana and resin known as
- hashish of certain varieties of hemp
- Cannabis sativa, which are smoked or
- swallowed to produce a range of effects,
- including euphoria and altered perception.
- Cannabis is a soft drug in that any
- dependence is psychological rather than
- physical. It is illegal in many countries and
- has played little part in orthodox medicine
- since the 1930s. However, this may change as
- recent research findings include the
- discovery of cannabis receptors in the brain,
- and the discovery of a naturally occurring
- brain chemical which yields the same effects
- as smoking cannabis. Researchers believe this
- work could lead to the exploitation of
- cannabis-like compounds to treat physical
- illness without affecting the mind. Cannabis
- has alleged beneficial effects in treating
- chronic diseases such as AIDS and multiple
- sclerosis. Cultivation of cannabis is illegal
- in the UK and USA except under licence.
-
- Subject by: Russell Webb
-