Ganja was originally the Indian name for the dried shoots of the female hemp plant which have hashishresin on them. Today it is a Jamaican slang expression for cannabis and hashish. Research Ganja
Smoking is the practice of drawing into the mouth or nose the fumes of a burning vegetable substance with narcotic, sedative or stimulant properties. The chief substances thus used are tobacco, opium and cannabis. Cannabis smoking was traditionally practised in central Asia and India and across Africa from the Middle East to South Africa, and is referred to by Herodotus among the Scythians. Tobacco smoking was practised by the Neolithic age mound builders of the upper Ohio, and for over 300 years for its health-giving properties in Britain until competition from the pharmaceutical manufacturers led to a campaign of counter information claiming connections between tobacco smoking and disease. During the 20th century a widespread campaign of oppression of all forms of smoking commenced, starting with opium, then cannabis and finally tobacco, the oppression being more prevalent in the USA and Britain than other parts of the world. Research Smoking
Hemp is an annual herb of the genusCannabis, natural order Cannabinaceae with an erect, hairy stem and palmately divided, long-stalked leaves with serrate edges, formerly cultivated for its fibres that are used to make rope. The plant is dioecious: the male flowers are arranged in panicles, are green, resembling those of the hop and produce large quantities of pollen; the female flowers grow in leafy spikes in the leaf axils and are pollinated by the wind. The fruit is a shiny, greyish-green achene.
Hemp is a native of Western and Central Asia, but has long been naturalized in Brazil and tropical Africa, and was extensively cultivated in Italy and many other European countries, particularly Russia and Poland. The Indian variety, often known as Cannabis indica, is the source of the narcotic drug variously known as hashish, bhang, or gunjah or simply cannabis.The oil and leaves of Indian hemp contain tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabinol and cannabidol, which have sedative, analgesic and antispasmodic properties.
The derivatives of hemp (hashish and cannabis being the oil and dried leaves respectively) are widely smoked for their narcotic effects and are also effective in the treatment of many illnesses including multiple- sclerosis, though their use is banned in the UK, where it is an offence to grow, possess or sell hemp without a government license.
The hemp fibre is tough and strong, and peculiarly adapted for weaving into coarse fabrics such as sail-cloth, and for twisting into ropes and cables. Immense quantities were exported from Russia. The finer sorts were used for shirtings, sheetings, etc, which, though coarser than that made from flax, were very much stronger and equally susceptible of being bleached.
The hemp of England was very superior, but the plant dis not pay the farmer, and very little of it was grown. In some of the United States during the 19th century hemp was a crop of considerable importance. Research Hemp
Jamaica Sarsaparilla (Smilax ornata) is a large perennial climber of the family Liliaceae. The stems are erect, semi-woody and with large very sharp prickles one centimetres long. The leaves are large, alternate, stalked and almost evergreen with prominent veins. Jamaica Sarsaparilla is native to Central America but was introduced to Europe via Jamaica in the middle of the 16th century as a remedy for syphilis, and later came to be used for other chronic diseases. The leaves were smoked as a remedy for asthma. Confusingly, in Jamaica the term 'Sarsaparilla' is now used to describe high quality cannabis by the dealers. Research Jamaica Sarsaparilla
Urticaceaeis an extensive family of exogenous trees, herbs and shrubs. This is the nettle family, with stinging hairs. The members are natives of the temperate and warm regions. They have mostly alternate leaves, and the flowers have usually the sexes separate. The fruits are one-seeded. The family includes bread-fruit (Artocarpus), fig (Ficus), hemp (Cannabis), and hop (Humulus). Research Urticaceae
Abbreviations
Research Ganja
