MEDICAL MARIJUANA: What is it?
Inside look at medical marijuana cultivation
Raphael Mechoulam received extensive recognition for his, fairly recent, discovery of the compounds in marijuana. He found both the “chemical structure of cannabidiol (CBD) and the principal psychoactive compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)” (Thomas). Within a strain of marijuana, THC, CBD, and Cannabinol (CBN) are what treat patient symptoms. Primarily there are three different species of cannabis, (Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis) all which have different biochemical structures. For instance, “In general, cannabis that has high levels of the psychoactive cannabinoid, delta
9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), and low levels of the non/anti-psychoactive cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), is referred to as “marijuana.” Cannabis that has high levels of CBD, and very low insignificant levels of Δ9-THC, is referred to as “industrial hemp,” or “hemp,” and has no psychoactive effects” (Baron). These different species are what result in the many different strains of marijuana, which are used to treat patient symptoms to various illnesses.
