Cannabis sativa – marijuana. Voters in Colorado and Washington eased marijuana laws last week.
Cannabis sativa
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This page contains a single entry by Matt Young published on November 12, 2012 12:00 PM.
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Clearly due to intelligent design.
Funny how we rarely hear how the Great Designer made psychoactive drugs for a purpose. But even if they’re protective chemicals, clearly psychoactive drugs for humans wouldn’t be the only option for the god-like (but not necessarily God, of course) Designer to use for those purposes.
If all of life is designed for a purpose, however, surely we must discover said purpose, and use it accordingly… Unless it just evolved–but, perish that thought.
Glen Davidson
This blog is going to pot, I tell ya.
Did you know that marijuana was not banned until 1937, and it has never been known to cause anyone’s death, unlike the perfectly legal drugs tobacco and alcohol which kill thousands of users every year? There is no question in my mind that pot must be legalized, since it can be used for medicinal purposes and as food as well as to make paper and rope. TOBACCO, BY CONTRAST, IS OTHERWISE USELESS!
Not quite true. The nicotine from tobacco used to be applied in bulk form as an agricultural insecticide. Until they found stuff that wasn’t quite as deadly to other things.
I remember buying rabbit repellent that contained tobacco and dried blood. It stunk like hell. I never bought it again.
Looks more like Cannabis Indica or a hybrid of some sort to me. Cannabis Sativa typically has a more narrow leaf and taller stature (6 ft. or more) where as Cannabis Indica has a broader leaf and shorter stature (around 4 ft).
It killed aphids quite well, and can still be purchased for that purpose:
After all, it almost certainly evolved as a pesticide against the crawlies, rather than to deter humans or quadrupeds. But its toxicity against us still seems to be one of the strikes against nicotine pesticides.
Glen Davidson
“Hi, Matt, I’m from the Federal Marshall ‘s office. Please provide the exact address where that picture was taken. Thanks.” :)
It is supposedly medical marijuana. The plant was no more than 2 ft tall. I noticed that the leaves were kind of broad compared to the references I looked up, but I assumed that it was a different cultivar. Is C. indica used for medicine?
I think indica produces a similar high without the paranoia. That would be useful for medicinal applications. At least, that’s what I’ve heard from .… sources.
As far as THC content goes Indica and Sativa are relatively similar, so as far as “medical” use goes they are interchangeable. Indica has a higher CBD:THC ratio which is thought to make it more sedative and anxiolytic.
IMO, “medical” marijuana was always a ruse to get marijuana decriminalized. And of course that is what we are starting to see now.
As far as the federal government is concerned there is no difference in the legality of different cannabis species (there are three, ruderalis being the other). At one point in the 60’s people were trying to skirt the schedule I designation for cannabis sativa by growing indica instead. The USDOJ didn’t buy into the argument that there was a difference and the growers ended up with convictions all the same.
All in all, I am glad to see that marijuana is starting to be decriminalized. In reality it is less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana’s illegality also contributes considerably to the financial infrastructure of organized crime south of the border. I don’t plan to start using marijuana any time soon, but that doesn’t mean others shouldn’t be able to enjoy it.
Can anyone here advise on the truth or otherwise of the hypothesis that cannabis evolved THC production as a defense against herbivores? The idea, as I’ve heard it, is that a mouse which avoids munching on the devil’s weed would outsurvive that other mouse who points and giggles as the hawk’s shadow swoops in…
Ah, so this weed invented a better mousetrap?
Henry
According to a rancher I once discussed this with, cattle and other ruminants tend to stay out of the hemp patch because the active ingredients have unpleasant but not lethal effects. Rather like certain species of pepper, one might surmise.
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