Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis; C. ruderalis may be included within C. sativa; all three may be treated as subspecies of a single species, C. sativa; or C. sativa may be accepted as a single undivided species. The genus is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from Asia.
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, Pub.L. 75–238, 50 Stat. 551, enacted August 2, 1937, was a United States Act that placed a tax on the sale of cannabis. The H.R. 6385 act was drafted by Harry Anslinger and introduced by Rep. Robert L. Doughton of North Carolina, on April 14, 1937. The Seventy-fifth United States Congress held hearings on April 27, 28, 29th, 30th, and May 4, 1937. Upon the congressional hearings confirmation, the H.R. 6385 act was redrafted as H.R. 6906 and introduced with House Report 792. The Act is now commonly referred to, using the modern spelling, as the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. This act was overturned in 1969 in Leary v. United States, and was repealed by Congress the next year.
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of Cannabis sativa cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants on Earth. It was also one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 50,000 years ago. It can be refined into a variety of commercial items, including paper, rope, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.
The Emperor Wears No Clothes is a non-fiction book written by Jack Herer. Starting in 1973, the story begins when Herer takes the advice of his friend, "Captain" Ed Adair, and begins compiling tidbits of information about the Cannabis plant and its numerous uses, including as hemp and as a drug. After a dozen years of collecting and compiling historical data, Herer first published his work as The Emperor Wears No Clothes, in 1985. The twelfth edition was published in November 2010, and the book continues to be cited in Cannabis rescheduling and re-legalization efforts.
A Cannabis Social Club, sometimes called a Teapad, is a model of legal regulation of the cannabis market organised as non-profit organizations in which cannabis is cultivated and enjoyed collectively, usually for the purpose of relaxing or for social communion. These places differ from Cannabis coffee shops in that those are also operating coffee shops and where cannabis is openly sold, usually found in the Netherlands, while social clubs are usually not selling cannabis, and only accessible to members.
The Cannabis College is a non-profit information centre located in the centre of Amsterdam's historic Red Light District in The Netherlands. Opened in 1998, the info centre features displays of the many and varied uses for Cannabis sativa and industrial hemp, as well as the history of human interaction with the plant. Everything from hemp building materials and plastics to medical Cannabis and worldwide legislation is covered.
Marijuana, or marihuana, is a name for the cannabis plant and more specifically a drug preparation from it. "Marijuana" as a term varies in usage, definition and legal application around the world. Some jurisdictions define "marijuana" as the whole cannabis plant or any part of it, while others refer to "marijuana" as a portion of the cannabis plant that contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some jurisdictions recognize "marijuana" as a distinctive strain of cannabis, the other being hemp. The form "marihuana" is first attested in Mexican Spanish; it then spread to other varieties of Spanish and to English, French, and other languages.
The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 that was introduced during the 111th United States Congress by House Republican Ron Paul of Texas) and House Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts) on April 2, 2009. It sought to clarify the differences between marijuana and industrial hemp as well as repeal federal laws that prohibit cultivation of industrial, but only for research facilities of higher education from conducting research. Industrial hemp is the non-psychoactive, low-THC, oil-seed and fibers varieties of, predominantly, the cannabis sativa plant. Hemp is a sustainable resource that can be used to create thousands of different products including fuel, fabrics, paper, household products, and food and has been used for hundreds of centuries by civilizations around the world. If H.R.1866 passes American farmers will be permitted to compete in global hemp markets. On March 10, 2009, both Paul and Frank wrote a letter to their Congressional colleagues urging them to support the legislation. This bill was previously introduced in 2005 under the title of Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.
The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum is a museum located in Barcelona, Spain and dedicated to the culture of cannabis. The museum opened on May 9, 2012.
Chris Conrad is an American author, activist, curator, publisher and court-recognized expert in cannabis cultivation and use. He has played a key role in the shaping of the modern industrial and medical cannabis reform movements as the author of such seminal books as Hemp: Lifeline to the Future (1993) and Hemp for Health (1997), as well as through his activist work as the co-founder and first President of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA), founder of the Business Alliance in Commerce and Hemp (BACH), and a signature gathering coordinator for the Proposition 215 volunteer effort which made California the first US state to legalize the medical use of cannabis. The December, 1999 issue of High Times ranked Conrad #10 on its list of top 25 "living legends in the battle for legal cannabis."
Mikki Norris is an American drug policy activist, former publisher, and author, known for her work highlighting the human cost of the US War on Drugs. She co-authored, with husband Chris Conrad and Virginia Resner, Shattered Lives: Portraits From America's Drug War and Human Rights and the US Drug War. Norris was also the co-founder, managing editor, and publisher of the West Coast Leaf, the "cannabis newspaper of record" for the West Coast of the United States from 2008 to 2013. The newspaper has gone digital, and is now The Leaf Online.
Cannabis in Spain is decriminalized for personal cultivation and use, and other purposes other than sale or trade. It's illegal for trade or commercial purposes. Using the legal grey areas in Spanish legislation, cannabis clubs are a popular way for enthusiasts to obtain and use cannabis as a technically-legal private collective. In private places, consumption and possession of reasonable amounts is legal.
Cannabis in Pakistan is illegal for recreational use, although since September 2020, extracts of cannabis can be used for industrial and medical use. Cannabis is widely consumed in Pakistan as charas and bhang.
Sensi Seeds or Sensi Seed Bank is a Dutch company based in Amsterdam which markets cannabis seeds. The company was founded in 1985. Sensi Seeds is the world's largest cannabis seed producer with the world's largest cannabis seed bank,
The Montevideo Cannabis Museum opened in December 2016, inspired by the legalization of cannabis in Uruguay in 2013. Some of the collection came from the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum in Amsterdam.
Terms related to cannabis include:
Cannabis in Canada has been legal for medicinal purposes since 2001 under conditions outlined in the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations. This was superseded by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, issued by Health Canada while seed, grain, and fibre production were permitted under licence by Health Canada.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the plant Cannabis sativa and its relatives Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis, the drug cannabis (drug) and the industrial product hemp.
Hemp has been grown continuously in France for hundreds of years or longer for use as a textile, paper, animal bedding, and for nautical applications.
