Do you know what the difference between these products? We are going to shed some light on the subject as well as some words that would probably be considered "slang."

Marijuana comes from the following parts of the Cannabis sativa or indica plants - dried leaves, stems, seeds and flowers. Marijuana is considered a psychoactive drug or mind altering drug (a product that has significant effects on ones emotions, thinking, perception and behavior) and is used for either medicinal or recreational use. It contains THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) which is one of over 400 known compounds in the plant. Marijuana can be consumed by vaporizing, smoking, as an ingredient in preparing foods or as an extract. Other well-known psychoactive drugs include alcohol, cocaine, heroin and nicotine.

The effects of consuming this product includes but is not limited to both mental and physical, such as the feeling of being "high" or "stoned." This alters ones perception, mood and appetite. The effects may be felt within minutes when consumed through a "joint" or marijuana cigarette and up to an hour if consumed in cooked food. The effects may last up to 6 hours.

Cannabis is the flowering tops of the Hemp plant also referred to as Cannabis sativa.

Other parts of the plant produce mildly euphoric and hallucinogenic drugs such as hashish, marijuana and bhang.

Sativa means cultivate and is used in conjunction with Cannabis sativa which comes in 3 major species which include sativa, indica and ruderalis. The top 2 species are the sativa and indica plant varieties. There are many differences between Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. To begin, the Sativa plants tend to have long blades and thinner longer leaves and the buds are shaped like a long sausage like flower. They may grow as tall as 20' (twenty feet tall). The Indica plants tend to grow as a shorter and bushier plant with wide short leaves and short wide blades and their buds tend to grow bulky, dense and wide. The sativa plants tend to have a lower level of THC to CBD, whereas the Indica plants have a higher level of THC to CBD.

Marijuana - also referred to as Hemp; comes from the dried leaves of a female flower. Also referred to as "dope, hashish, hemp, bhang, hash, reefer, weed, ganja, roach, doobie" etc.

Hemp - comes from the tough fiber of the cannabis plant which is used to make coarse fabrics, textiles, clothing biodegradable plastics and rope among others. In today's market place, you can find a vast array of products containing hemp. Among these are calming balms, message oils, essential oils, muscle rubs, lotions and many more. Several products are available for purchase in your neighborhood grocery store.

Other "slang" names and their meanings:

Bhang - made from the young leaves and stems of the hemp or sativa plant that produce hallucinogenic effects.

Hashish - is produced from the top flowers and leaves and primarily used as a narcotic or intoxicant and contains higher amounts of active ingredients.

Reefer - a marijuana cigarette

Ganja - using a potent preparation; this is primarily used for smoking

Roach - the butt of a marijuana cigarette

Doobie - another word for marijuana cigarette or "joint"

THC - Tetrahydrocannabinol - comes from hemp plant resin and is the chief intoxicant of marijuana

CBD - Cannabinoid - CBD oils cannot contain more than 3% TCH (10 mg of CBD oil can have no more than 0.3 mg of THC)

We hope this article was helpful in describing and clarifying different parts of the "marijuana" market and the slang used to describe it.