Cannabis

Weed, pot, ganja, Mary Jane, the devil’s lettuce, chronic, skunk, kine, whatever you call it, it’s all cannabis. Enjoyed by cultures all over the world for thousands of years medicinally, spiritually and of course recreationally. The plant is ubiquitous around the globe and enjoyed by people from all walks of life. Many people find it an important part of their daily ritual. We here at Express Highs know all about it and want to share that knowledge with you.

The effects of cannabis vary by varietal (strain, type, whatever you want to call it, but botanically, varietal is correct.), however in general users can expect to feel relaxed, euphoric and laid back on cannabis. Some folks suffer from munchies or paranoia, but that’s about the extent of the negatives of weed.

Cannabis is a really cool plant full of lots of different chemical compounds. There are well over 120 distinct components referred to as cannabinoids. While the exact workings of each cannabinoid is not fully understood, we know the nature and effects of two particular compounds: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Cannabis is often broken into several categories. For the purposes here we will be mentioning only Sativa and Indica. In general, Indica is considered more sleep, body high inducing. Sativa is considered to be more buzzy, energetic and head high inducing. In reality most plants are complex hybrids made through breeding that goes back many generations.

The reason cannabis smells so strong is because of chemicals created while growing the plant called terpenes. These individual terpenes are not only responsible for unique smells of your favorite strain, but they “modulate” the high, so to speak. This is why it’s so fun to try different varietals of Marijuana, they are all different.

Some terpenes that are easy to smell include Limonene (smells like lemons) and Pinene (smells like pine). Both of these smells are often associated with Sativa dominant strains. Once a smoker gets adept at recognizing smells, they can often predict how the effect will be.

Cannabis is truly a wonder plant full of chemical variation found in few peers of the plant kingdom. Much like coffee or wine, the connoisseur or great buds can spend a lifetime discovering nuances in their favorite herb. Express Highs is a great place to learn all you can about weed. Make sure you come back to read all the posts.