Preparation and Methods of consummation of Cannabis

2009.05.05

BHANG

 

Synonyms: Siddhi / Patti / Sabji

 

Components: Consider the dried leaves and fruit shoots which are used as an infusion in the form of a beverage. It contains the active principle i.e. fat soluble tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in a concentration of 15% and it is the least potent.

 

Features: It produces a feeling of exhilaration. The subject sings, dances, eats his food with relish and seeks sexual enjoyment. Effect lasts for about 3 hours, followed by sleep.

 

MAJUN

 

Components: This is a sweetment made with bhang, flour, milk and butter. Sometimes dhatura seeds are added to increase its potency.

 

Features: It produces grandiose delusions, in addition to all the effects of bhang.

 

GANGA

 

Components: It consists of the dried flowering tops of the female plant, especially grown so that there is a large amount of resinous exudates and as little leaf as possible. It contains 25% of the active principle i.e. fat soluble tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Resin, of rusty green color and characteristic odor, is mixed with tobacco and smoked in a pipe.

 

Features: Though able to discharge ordinary duties, the smokers feel lazy and indulge in daydreaming.

 

MARIJUANA

 

Synonyms: Marihuana (a Mexican term meaning “pleasurable feeling” / pot / Grass / Mary jane / weed.

 

Components: It is made from the dried flowering tops of the female cannabis plants. Marijuana is eaten alone or as part of confection, or drunk in beer or some other beverage, or smoked in pipes or rolled in cigarettes and then smoke. These cigarettes contain average 500 mg of Indian hemp or its equivalent of the Mexican cannabis plant, and are known as REEFERS or WEED.

 

Features: Their use leads to the consummation of the more dangerous drugs, and in particular to heroin addiction, amongst the teenagers.

 

CHARAS

 

Synonym: Hashish

 

Components: This is the resinous exudates from the leaves and stems of the plant. It is of dark green or brown color. It is smoked with tobacco in a pipe and is the most powerful of all cannabis preparations, containing the 25-40% of the active principle i.e. fat soluble tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

 

Features: It is the most powerful of all cannabis preparations.

 

Methods of consummation

 

Cannabis is consumed in many different ways, most of which either involve inhaling smoke from ignited plant or administering orally.

Various devices exist for smoking cannabis. The most commonly used include screened bowls, bongs, chillums, paper-wrapped joints and cigar-leaf-wrapped

blunts. Local methods differ by the preparation of the cannabis plant before use, the parts of the cannabis plant which are used, and the treatment of the smoke before inhalation.

The vaporizer heats herbal cannabis to 365–410 °F (185–210 °C), which causes the active ingredients to evaporate into a gas without burning the plant material (the boiling point of THC is 392 °F (200°C) at 0.02 mmHg pressure, and somewhat higher at standard atmospheric pressure), A lower proportion of toxic chemicals are released than by smoking, although this may vary depending on the design of the vaporizer and the temperature at which it is set.

As an alternative to smoking, cannabis may be consumed orally. However, the cannabis or its extract must be sufficiently heated or dehydrated to cause decarboxylation of its most abundant cannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, into psychoactive THC.

Cannabis material can be leached in high-proof spirits (often grain alcohol) to create a tincture referred to as “

Green Dragon”. This process is often employed to make use of low-potency stems and leaves.

Cannabis can also be consumed as a cannabis tea. THC is lipophilic and only slightly water soluble (with a solubility of 2.8 mg per liter), so tea is made by first dissolving the active components in a fat such as milk, cream, butter, which is mixed with hot water to make a tea.