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Medical Marijuana Strains

Indicas originally come from the hash producing countries of the world like Afghanistan, Morocco, and Tibet. They are short dense plants, with broad leaves and often grow a darker green. After flowering starts they will be mature in 6 to 8 weeks. The buds will be thick and dense, with flavors and aromas ranging from pungent skunk to sweet and fruity. The smoke from An Indic a is generally a body type effect, relaxing and laid back. Combining different indicas, different sativas or a combination thereof creates hybrids. The resulting hybrid strains will grow, mature and smoke in relationship to the indica/sativa percentages they end up containing.	Cannabis Indica The smoke from An Indica is generally a body type effect, relaxing and laid back	C A N N A B I S   I N D I C A	Indica is the wheelchair weed king. Usually a heavy smoke and extremely high in THC content with a lower level of CBD compared to Sativa Strains (more about this below). Indica has shorter, fatter leafs. Indica plants produce more bud weight than Sativa, flowers quicker and doesn't grow as tall. Almost all drug dealers grow Indica because it's more profitable and because it doesn't grow as tall as Sativa, it's easier to hide in corn fields. Cannabis is the only plant that produces chemicals called cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are ingredients unique to cannabis; the psychoactive cannabinoids are responsible for the mind-bending effects of marijuana. Some cannabinoids get you high. Around 40 cannabinoids exist, but most are not psychoactive. D9 THC, the main ingredient that gets you high, is called: D9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol. All cannabis, whether industrial hemp or drug marijuana, contains some D9 THC. Industrial hemp cannabis contains infinitesimal amounts while dried flower tops (buds) of potent marijuana can contain up to 25 percent D9 THC. In potent varieties of marijuana, perhaps all of the mind-bending effects are derived from D9 THC. D8 THC is found in very low concentrations in cannabis. It also gets you high, but there is so little D8 THC in most cannabis that researchers, breeders and growers concentrate on the more abundant and potent D9 THC. To simplify matters we will refer to both D9 THC and D8 THC as THC.
Do you prefer Sativa or Indica, or a hybrid? Because there is large selection of strains, this can sometimes get overwhelming when trying to decide which one to choose. Choosing is not as difficult as you may think. There are really only two sides of the marijuana family we are talking about here. Indicas and Sativas. Sativas are just about the opposite of indicas. They are tall, thin plants, with much narrower leaves and grow a lighter green in color. They grow very quickly and can reach heights of 20 feet in a single season. They originally come from Colombia, Mexico, Thailand and Southeast Asia. Once flowering has begun, they can take anywhere from 10 to 16 weeks to fully mature. Flavors range from earthy to sweet and fruity.                                                                                                                                                   The effects of a Sativa is cerebral, up and energetic                                                               Cannabis Sativa - The effects of a Sativa is cerebral, up and energetic  Cannabidiol, known as CBD, also appears in all varieties of cannabis. The amount of CBD can widely vary, trace amounts to more than 95 percent of all cannabinoids present in a plant. CBD generally has a sedative effect regarding the high you experience. CBD, when combined with THC, tends to postpone the beginning of the high, but, the good part is that CBD can make it last twice as long. Whether CBD increases or decreases the force of the high is subjective and must be discerned by each smoker. Cannabinol, or CBN, is produced as THC oxidizes or degrades. Only a trace of CBN exists in fresh bud. Stored and cured tops or hashish have higher levels of CBN, that has converted from THC. Marijuana with high levels of CBN generally make the toker feel disoriented and often sleepy or groggy, often referred to as a stupefying high. At best CBN contains only 10 percent of the psychoactive potency of the original THC. Tetrahydrocnnabivarin, called THCV, is the shorter three-carbon propyl that replaces the five-carbon pentyl chain. This compound is associated with the fragrance of the plant. In other words, very pungent smelling marijuana normally contains THCV. Warmer temperatures bring out more smell. THCV is found in very potent marijuana that originated in Southeast and Central Asia as well as regions in Africa. Concentrations of THCV usually make the high come on quicker and disappear sooner. There is still much research to do on this cannabinoid. Cannabichromene, or CBC, may make up to 20 percent of the cannabinoid profile in a plant. Little study has been done on this cannabinoid. So far, researchers believe that it may interact with THC to make the high more intense.

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http://www.canadamedicalmarijuana.com/

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive component present in Marijuana. In other words it’s the component in Marijuana that gives you the pleasant “high” feeling. But it doesn’t work alone to produce that feeling. There are a cocktail of chemical components found in Marijuana.

Recent research has proved THC to be medically useful. CBN is a non-psychoactive agent, and is the component that makes the weed smell and taste so nice after it’s harvested and cured properly. It can also cause drowsiness and other similarly unwanted, but mild, side-affects.

Different medical Marijuana strains help different types of medical conditions. Some of the additional chemical components found in medical Marijuana are: Cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidiol (CBD), delta-8-THC, cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabinol (CBN), cannabitriol (CBT), cannabavarin (THCU). All are known to have psychoactive and pharmacological effects.

Animal testing has shown that CBN and THC reduce IOP (intraocular pressure), but CBD does not. CBD has, however, been found to have anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects. Also, unlike THC, CBD alone is not effective in treating pain. Though it does act as a sedative and can relieve muscle spasms. Medical studies also show CBD can improve sleep. CBD is also reported to be effective for treatment of dystopias, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and neuropathic conditions. 

The most desirable strains for medical marijuana use are ones that have been genetically developed by designated medical marijuana grower experts to have an extremely low CBN concentration while maintaining an available range of THC concentrates. 

Marijuana Properties

Marijuana has been claimed to help with a large number of wide-ranging symptoms. However, research has concluded three major properties which are medically useful. Marijuana is:

an analgesic (relieves pain)
an anti-emetic (relieves nausea and vomiting)
an appetite stimulant (induces hunger)


A very large and growing community of people with medical complaints such as severe chronic pain use Marijuana for medicinal purposes without the after-affects and damage associated with many of today's commonly-prescribed medications.

Typically, medical Marijuana use is practised by AIDS and MS patients, but it is certainly not limited to just these conditions. THC is also one of the safest active substances known to man, and has a wide variety of therapeutic applications including, but certainly not limited to:

Reduction of muscle spasms.
Relief from chronic pain.
Relief from nausea and increase of appetite.
 

• psychological and cognitive effects such as euphoria (commonly referred to as a "high"), dysphoria (a "low"), anxiety, personality changes, hallucinations, misperceptions, sedation, and memory impairment
• fidgeting, muscle twitching, and general weakness
• pain relief
• suppression of nausea
• increase in appetite
• tolerance (with long-term use) - this seems to develop with most of the behavioural effects, including the "high"
• increase in heart rate (with short-term use)
• decrease in heart rate (with long-term use)
• decrease in blood pressure (because of widened blood vessels; it is this effect that causes red eyes)
• increase in breathing (at low doses)
• expansion of airway and coughing - tolerance develops to these effects
• smoked-related lung damage (with long-term use)
• impairment of the body's ability to fight bacterial infections (with long-term use)
• men: hormonal imbalances and decrease in sperm count and mobility (with long-term use; tolerance may develop to these effects)
• women: hormonal imbalances and suppression of ovulation (with long-term use)

• Many consider smoked Medical Marijuana to have anti-nausea benefits, but there is no evidence to support claims that marijuana is as good as or better than existing anti-nausea medications.
   
• The capsule form of cannabis (dronabinol) is used to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and to stimulate a person's appetite in cases of AIDS-related weight loss. It has been shown to significantly increase appetite, but it also causes undesirable side effects such as dizziness and confusion. A major concern associated with its use by those with AIDS or cancer is the risk of increased difficulty in fighting infections.
   
• A few published studies suggest that smoking marijuana helps people with multiple sclerosis as well as those with spinal cord injuries to relieve their symptoms.
   
• Dronabinol was found to provide significant pain relief but it can cause drowsiness and mental clouding.
   
• The high intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye) that occurs with glaucoma can be reduced by marijuana use (taken in capsule form, or smoked); this is supported by a few reports from treatment of glaucoma patients.
   
• Marijuana has also been considered for the treatment of many psychiatric disorders such as depression, sleep disorders, and Alzheimer's disease, but no evidence exists to prove its effectiveness in these areas.

          What forms does marijuana come in?

• inhalation (smoked)
• oral (capsules)
• rectal (suppositories)

          Is marijuana addictive?

It may be. It's important to know that inappropriate use of marijuana can lead to physical dependence and addiction.

Withdrawal symptoms include disturbed sleep, decreased appetite, restlessness, irritability, and sweating. Physical dependence is not the same as addiction.

Addiction is a psychological need for the drug that leads to cravings, inability to control drug use, and an uncontrollable need to use the drug despite the harm it may cause. Whether or not someone becomes addicted to marijuana will depend on a variety of factors, such as genetics.