Medical Cannabis: Facts, Strains, and Effects

Forbes magazine estimated that the global cannabis industry has gained incomparable growth in the last decade and in 2021 alone, it generated 31.4 billion US Dollars from its sales. This booming or boosting in the sales of cannabis owes to the legalization of the use of medical cannabis in numerous countries and provinces across the world. The decriminalization of selling medical cannabis has led to a wide array of research and studies on the potential of using cannabis for the treatment of several ailments. Although it was always known that cannabis can have a positive impact on those who are suffering from anxiety, chronic pain, etc., the newer studies made it clear that they are good to lighten the symptoms related to multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and cancer. But despite the popularity that cannabis or weed gained over the years, a true depth of knowledge regarding the various strains, extracts, effects, etc. is found to be ignored by the lion’s share of the general public. Being one of the most potent drugs to be developed from a flowering plant, the future beholds a lot from cannabis and thus, it is always ideal to have a basic understanding of the various nuances of cannabis.

What exactly is cannabis or weed?

The popular words like weed, cannabis, pot, etc. are all representatives of a flowering plant named Cannabis. The cannabis plant comes in three varieties: Cannabis Indica, Cannabis Sativa, and Cannabis Ruderalis. The cannabis plant is mainly cultivated for its flowers. The flowers are collected and dried, which creates marijuana, which is one of the most popularly used drugs of all time. While consumed reasonably, marijuana is known to produce relaxing effects, relief from pain, etc.

The relaxing effect and all the other effects of a cannabis flower are caused by the numerous cannabinoids present in it. Cannabinoids are compounds that carry varying properties but are all psychoactive. Their presence provides the psychoactive property to the cannabis plant and flower. It is estimated that a total of over 120 cannabinoids are present in a single cannabis flower. Although many of the cannabinoids are still unknown to mankind, some of the major ones were able to identify by experts. Among the identified cannabinoids, the most noteworthy ones are CBD and THC.

CBD or Cannabidiol is an important psychoactive cannabinoid present inside the cannabis flower. It has a limited role in making the consumer high or causing addiction. It is rather helpful in terms of medical ailments. They play a crucial role in reducing the pain or inflammation of a patient without making them high. They are also ideal to treat mental ailments like anxiety and physical ailments like nausea, seizures, and migraine. Different medications like Epidiolex have CBD as one of their major content.THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol is another potent psychoactive element of a cannabis flower that put forth numerous possibilities in the medical field. It is also one of the main compounds that are present in abundance in a cannabis flower. It is the manor reason for persons to get high when consumed with cannabis. They have limited medicinal values other than the possibility of being used as a sedative in some places. The composition of cannabinoids influences the quality and other essential features of a cannabis flower. Along with cannabinoids, the variety in strains of cannabis is also a significant aspect in deciding the quality of the cannabis or cannabis products.

What are the different cannabis strains?

Generally, cannabis plants are found to be occurring in three different strains. Strains simply mean types and all the three strains are different from each other in the basic properties and the possible effects that they are capable to produce in the persons who consume them. the three major strains of the cannabis plant are Cannabis Indica, Cannabis Sativa, and Cannabis Ruderalis.

Cannabis Indica is one of the most popular and most sought-after strains of the cannabis plant which is known for its high content of THC alias Tetrahydrocannabinol. As this variety contains one of the largest amounts of THC, which is a cannabinoid responsible for causing euphoric or pleasure impact on the consumers, these strains are mostly used to make recreational drugs. The Indica strain is mostly found in the subcontinent of India, and in India, it is majorly used to make hashish, a recreational drug. The concentrates of this strain are ideal to treat sleep disorders like insomnia and mental ailments like anxiety. Cannabis Indica is also found in the southern and eastern parts of Asia. They are usually medium-sized plants that contain wide leaves and a large number of buds. It is observed that Cannabis Indica grows faster than any other variety of the cannabis plant. Some of the most popular varieties of the Cannabis Indica strain are the Hindu Kush and Afghan Kush.

Cannabis Sativa is generally found in Central America, Western Asia, and portions of Africa. They are the tallest plants in the cannabis plant family. Their leaves are quite narrow and long in structure. It usually takes more time to grow and mature and a full-grown Cannabis Sativa plant attains about 12 feet in height. It contains both CBD and THC, yet does not cause a high among the users, but rather causes an energized impact. The persons who consume the Sativa strain are bound to feel more productive and energized. The Cannabis Sativa strains are known for their specific aroma. Some of the most popular varieties of the Cannabis Sativa strain are Panama Red, Acapulco Gold, and Durban Poison.

Cannabis Ruderalis is one of the strains of the Cannabis plant which is not as popular as the other two strains. It contains less to no potential for medicinal or recreational effects and thus, is not generally cultivated. They are generally found in the extreme cold conditions of Russia, Eastern Europe, Himalayan regions of India, etc. They require very low sunlight to grow and are bushy plants that acquire a maximum height of 12 inches. It contains a very low number of cannabinoids and thus, does not produce any significant effect on the person consumed. As the Cannabis Ruderalis strain is not capable of producing any effect on the consumers, generally, the Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica are cultivated and sold in the markets. They are available in various forms and versions in the places where the sale of cannabis is legalized. There are many places and counties across the world where cannabis is available at the doorstep of the buyer’s home. The popular same-day weed delivery in Vancouver and cheap ounce deals in Vancouver are proof enough. Numerous online dispensaries focus on the best weed delivery in Vancouver and the best edible delivery in Vancouver with the sole purpose of making quality medical cannabis available to the general public.

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