THC, or “tetrahydrocannabinol,” is the chemical compound in marijuana that causes the psychological effects of smoking weed. Basically, it’s the element in weed that gets you stoned. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of the two main ingredients of the cannabis plant. The other main component of the plant is cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabidiol is known for its medicinal qualities, but it has no mind-altering effects.
THC can be consumed several ways. One of the most popular is by smoking it. Most people roll it into a joint or smoke from a pipe or other cannabis paraphernalia. Another popular way of consuming cannabis is through edibles. When edibles are consumed, the liver metabolizes the THC, which makes the weed more potent.
A concentrated form of weed called cannabis oil is also popular among medical marijuana consumers. It is made from extracting resin from the buds and contains a high amount of THC. Cannabis oil is mostly used for treating medical issues such as multiple sclerosis and cancer.
What Strain Has the Most THC?
Indica strains have the most THC content and originated from cannabis plants in northern Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Tibet. They are short, dense plants with wide leaves that grow three to four feet in height. Indicas are grown indoors for the most part and have a high THC to CBD ratio.
Sativa strains have a higher CBD to THC ratio but can still have a high THC content. Sativa strains originated in southern India, Thailand, and southeast Asia. The sativa plant is tall with narrow leaves that grow up to twenty feet in height, so they are grown outdoors for the most part. Sativa strains produce energetic, creative, and uplifting effects, which make sativas good for daytime activity.
The History of Weed
Cannabis has been around for more than 10,000 years and was used to make everything from medicine to paper. The ancient Chinese used it as an anesthesia for operations. They also used it to make arrows during warfare. It is said that Confucius wrote on hemp paper made from the cannabis plant.
Cannabis eventually spread to India, where it was treated as a sacred plant because of the THC’s euphoric effects. Hindu monks made a drink with THC called bhang. It is made with marijuana, nuts, ginger, pepper, poppy seeds, spices, and sugar. The monks believed that the sacred plant was magical and used it during religious rituals. Bhang is still popular in India today; in the Holy Town of Pushkar where alcohol consumption is forbidden, bhang is embraced and sold almost everywhere.
Indian laborers were brought to Jamaica in 1845 by the British to work as indentured servants on plantations, and they brought cannabis with them. Jamaican field laborers mingled with Indian workers and cannabis spread throughout Jamaica quickly as the effects of THC became well known. It spread throughout the islands to South America in the early 1900s, then to Mexico, and eventually North America by the 1920s.
