Cannabis

Modified from
Medical Botany (Bio 325)
M. Marshall 2009
Shippensburg University
A Gallery of Cannabis drawings
Cannabis systematics
Cannabis spp. are annual dioecious herbs with
palmately compound leaves. They originated in
central asia and have been spread throughout the
world. Varieties are grown for their production of a
unique category of psychoactive materials, the
cannabinoids, or as a seed or fiber crop (hemp) to
produce cloth and rope.

Three Cannabis species are presently recognized

by some workers, sativa, indica, and ruderalis,
with some sources listing a fourth, spontaneae.
Others still adhere to the older interpretation that
they are all sub-species of C. sativa L., or some
mixture of the two systems.

Originally Cannabis was placed into the Urticales

(nettle order) in the family Urticaceae or in the
Moraceae with mulberries and figs. Presently
many place it in a family with hops (Humulus spp),
the Cannabaceae.

Recent DNA sequence work suggests that the

Cannabaceae arrose from within the Celtidaceae
and should be merged into that family.
 Related plants: Mulberries

Cannabis spp. were once grouped in the Moraceae with red and white mulberries (Morus rubra
and alba) and the figs, of which there are many spp. world wide in the tropics. The common red
and white mulberry shown here were imported from China for their fruit and to provide a basis
for an American silk worm industry that was never established. They are both relatively small
weedy trees when young, producing a white latex sap and fruit that is mainly consumed by birds
which help spread the seeds. The white mulberry is an especially invasive species locally.
 Related plants: Nettles (Urticaceae)

Boehmaria nivea (below)

Urtica dioica, stinging nettle

Nettles, such as Urtica spp have stinging hairs that break off in skin and inject irritating
substances causing painful welts, not unlike a mild bee sting. They favor rich soils in full sun in
damp environments such as creek sides. The ancient Romans used a European species to
flagellate themselves, using the stinging effect to stimulate blood flow. Boehmarias are
tropical relatives without stinging hairs grown for their bast fibers (Ramie).
 Related plants:Hops

Hops, Humulus lupulus, which are grown commercially for their content of aromatic
compounds which are useful in lending flavor to beer, and aiding the brewing process in other
ways, are presently classified with Cannabis into the Cannabaceae.
Related plants: Celtis

C. occidentalis; tree,
flowers & seeds (lower
right).

C. Sinensis leaves and fruit

Recent DNA work has linked Celtis spp.

with Cannabis. Celtis occidentalis (the
common hackberry) and C. sinensis
(Chinese hackberry) are shown here.
 Cannabis “species”(varieties?)

Cannabis sativa , is a tall plant, generally between 8 and 12 feet. The leaves have long thin
leaflets and are light green. The more equatorial varieties have more yellow pigments to protect
the plant from intense light. Sativa buds are long and thin and turn red as they mature in a warm
environment. In cooler environments the buds may be slightly purple. Sativa plants smell sweet
and fruity and the smoke is generally quite mild. It is a source of fiber for rope and other products
and it contains THC which gives smokers the psychic effects they seek. The leaves of this plant
are smoked but the most highly prized part of the plant is the top.

Cannabis indica, is plentiful in the Mideast, India, and Central Asia especially Afghanistan,
Kashmir, and Pakistan. It is a short plant, generally between 3 and 6 feet, and its leaves have
short broad fingers. The leaves are generally dark green sometimes tinged with purple. As they
near maturity, the leaves may become significantly more purple. It is a strong smelling plant with a
"stinky" or "skunky" smell. The smoke of indicas is generally thick and more prone to cause
coughing when inhaled. Indicas are the traditional source of hashish.

Cannabis ruderalis is a debated third variety of cannabis found in Russia, Poland, and other
eastern European countries. Schultes classified cannabis as having three species: sativa, indica,
and ruderalis based on the formation of the seed pods. There is some debate as to whether there
is justification for this third category. Some features of ruderalis are large seeds, short weedy
plants (4-6 feet tall) and a lower level of THC than sativas or indicas.

( From: http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_info6.shtml )
 Cannabis, the Wonder Plant
“To say that cannabis is versatile is to underestimate its resourcefulness and
adaptability.”

• Germinates in 6 days; matures from seed in 3-5 months.

• Grows from 2-5 cm / d (up to 15 cm / d).
• Can grow in poor sandy soils (may have an advantage in such conditions), but
does better in loamy soil.
• Doesn’t like low temps.
• Requires little water except for germination and early growth.
• Grows at altitudes up to 8,000 ft.
• Grows best in full sun; sativa plants to 2-3 m, indica to about 1 m.
• Main stalk can reach 5 cm dia. with outer ring of long strong fibers.
• Male plants are taller and flower first (1 month before female). Female flowers
grow in clusters and are little more than a pistle with 2 stigmas with one ovule that
becomes a flattened oval achene containing one seed.
• Perianth of female flowers and upper leaves are covered in glandular hairs that
produce a resin the production of which increases with maturity, then ceases
abruptly.
• Resin production is higher in higher temperatures, it contains THC and other
cannabinoids - ecological function unknown.
From: Booth, M. 2003. Cannabis, A History. St. Martin’s Press, N.Y., 354pp.
Cannabis Distribution

Cannabis varieties are

adaptable to any warm
-temperate climate, and
have been distributed by
man world-wide.
Cannabis Flower Structure - Male Plants
Cannabis Flower Structure - Female Plants
Wisconsin “ditch weed”

A gravel pit by the

Kinnickinnick River
in River Falls WI

Ditch weed, or naturalized

(wild) Cannabis, tends to be
low in THC content. It is the
remnant of the plants once
grown for fiber throughout the
midwest.
 Industrial Hemp

Every industrialized country in the world (except the U.S.) produces Hemp for fiber, seed, and
other uses. Russia is a leading producer, breeding for better fiber production, better yield /
hectare and low THC content. Other large producers include China, North Korea, Hungary,
the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland France and Italy. Today France is Europe’s leader in
hemp production. Canadian hemp varieties are grown mainly for seed. Hemp fibers hold up
well in salt water and were once the main source for marine ropes and cloth. The term
“canvas” is derived from Cannabis, as sails were once made from hemp exclusively.
 Hemp Fiber Production
Hemp is planted densely enough to discourage
branching. The tall slender stalks are harvested
mechanically and allowed to lay for a time in the
field and partially decompose. This ”retting”
process provides a moist environment that
encourages anaerobic bacteria to digest away
the pectic substances holding the outer bast
fibers to the stalk proper, and partially
decomposes the inner stalk as well.

The stalks are then dried, bundled and

taken to a facility where they are broken
mechanically which facilitates separation of
the flexible fibers from the inner stalk
fragments or shives that can be used for
animal bedding, to manufacture fiber board,
or in other products. The long flexible bast
fibers are then washed and made into rope,
cloth or other products.
 The Demon Weed!
During the late 1800s - early 1900s several western states passed laws outlawing or regulating
the production and use of Cannabis, which by then had come to be known by the Spanish term
“marijuana.” Its use as a means to get “high” had become associated with Mexican immigrants
in the west and with African-American jazz musicians in the east. Both groups were considered
to be outside of polite society, and the increasing indiscriminant use of “Mary Jane” and its resin
hashish to get high was seen as a moral threat. The linkage of cannabis with moral decay was
emphasized in publications, films and pamphlets distributed by the government and other groups
through the 1950,s
 The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
The federal government passed the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 which levied a tax on
all who produced, processed or used cannabis. While the revenue produced by the act
was minimal, the penalties it imposed for non-compliance were draconian. It gave the
Treasury Department’s Bureau of Narcotics absolute administrative, enforcement, and
police power.
“Forward (from the film):”
“The motion picture you are about to witness may startle you. Reefer Madness!
It would not have been possible, otherwise, to sufficiently (1938)
emphasize the frightful toll of the new drug menace which is
destroying the youth of America in alarmingly increasing
numbers.

Marihuana is that drug - a violent narcotic - an unspeakable

scourge - The Real Public Enemy Number One!

Its first effect is sudden, violent, uncontrollable laughter; then

come dangerous hallucinations - space expands - time slows
down, almost stands still . . . . fixed ideas come next,
conjuring up monstrous extravagances - followed by
emotional disturbances, the total inability to direct thoughts,
the loss of all power to resist physical emotions . . . leading
finally to acts of shocking violence . . . ending often in
incurable insanity.

In picturing its soul-destroying effects no attempt was made

to equivocate. The scenes and incidents, while fictionized
for the purposes of this story, are based on actual research
into the results of Marihuana addiction. If their stark reality
will make you think, will make you aware that something
must be done to wipe out this ghastly menace, then the
picture will not have failed in its purpose . . . . Because the
dread Marihuana may be reaching forth next for your son or
daughter . . . . or yours . . . . or YOURS!”
 Remember Pearl Harbor!
The Shokaku readies planes

View of the start of the attack from a Japanese plane

December 7th 1941 was to my parents’ generation what 9/11 is to yours. A quiet Sunday
morning in the States, while all hell was breaking loose in the Pacific - with 2,400 American
dead - it produced a sense of shock, betrayal, and outrage that united the country against the
axis powers and all but ensured Japan’s ultimate defeat.
 American Hemp Production becomes a Necessity: Hemp for
Victory!

(Weed to the rescue!?)

When the Japanese invaded the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia during WWII
America was cut off from supplies of Manila Hemp (from Musa spp) and jute (Corchorus spp.)
from India. Local hemp production became essential to the war effort and Midwestern farmers
were encouraged to plant large acreages in hemp.

The promotional movie “Hemp for Victory” makes the point that Old Ironsides (presently restored
in Boston harbor) required over 60 tons of hemp for rigging, and states that in 1942 36,000 acres
of hemp were planted in the US with a goal of 50,000 acres for 1943. The film goes on to instruct
potential hemp growers on the necessity for obtaining a registration and tax stamp (see previous
slide) and provides instructions as to how hemp might best be grown and harvested.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxd64t6H3_4
 Manila Hemp

Abaca fiber is obtained from the overlapping leaf sheaths that form a pseudostalk; the inner
sheath produces the finest fiber. Abaca requires a warm humid climate (20-25 oC) with high
relative humidity (78-85%), well-drained rich organic soil, and locations sheltered from high
winds. The fiber is valued for its great strength, length, buoyancy, and resistance to salt water.
In 2007 the Philippines produced 60,000 tons, with 10,000 tons contributed by Ecuador.

The Japanese invasion of the Philippines, begun on December 7, 1941, culminated in complete
allied surrender in May of that year. The void created by the loss of this resource was filled by
domestically grown Cannabis hemp.
 Manila Hemp, Musa textilis

Abaca, or manila hemp, is obtained from a tropical banana-like plant Musa textilis native
to the Philippines and also grown in nearby locals in Southeast Asia. The edible banana (M.
acuminata and hybrids) is thought to have originated in New guinea, or Malaysia, or
Indonesia where many wild varieties still exist. The genus Musa is placed in the family
Musaceae of the monocot order Zingiberales. M. textilis is a seeded species; shown
above are a female flower, corms, fruit, leaf blade, and male flower or abaca heart.
Tossa Jute, Corchorus olitorius

Another of the fibers sources that domestic hemp was

meant to replace during WWII was Jute. Corchorus
spp. are placed in the Malvales (along with another
fiber source, Kenaf). C. olitorius is the source of
tossa, or brown jute, used to make rope, twine and
burlap. It grows to 4 m or so and requires a warm
climate, 70-80% relative humidity and substantial
moisture (upwards of 5-8 cm weekly). The main
growing areas have been the monsoon climate
countries of India and Bangladesh. Since the 70s the
market for jute has suffered from competition from
artificial fibers (polypropylene).
 Cannabis Use for Intoxication
An extensive history of Cannabis use, as an intoxicant and as a medicine, is given on-line in several
references including that of Erowid, see ( http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_timeline.php) and associated pages.

Cannabis use predates the first century A.D. by many thousands of years. A combination of written and
archaeological evidence indicates that It is native to central Asia and was known to ancient civilizations in
India and China by 6000 B.C. It was listed by Dioscorides (70A.D.) and those who came after.

The oldest known physical evidence of medical use was Cannabis residue found associated with the
skeleton of a young girl who died in childbirth in Jerusalem in the 4th century A.D.
 Cannabinoids

Several cannabinoids as well as other secondary

compounds are produced, more abundantly by the female
plant. Of these, only tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is
psychoactive.
-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol
THC content is highest in the glandular hairs of the
flowering heads of female plants
 Potency through time

NIDA = Nat’l Inst. On Drug Abuse. THC numbers are %

 Potency Comparisons Over Time II
(this is not your parent’s weed)

Data from the National Drug Intelligence Center of the D.oJ.shows THC content (%) of
Cannabis doubling from 1985 through 2007.

From: http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs25/25921/marijuan.htm
 Cannabinoid
receptors
Why is THC psychoactive?

Because it binds to specific receptors

on human cells that are part of the G-
protein-coupled receptor family and
are known to exist in a wide variety of
verebrates (esp. CB1); similar forms
exist in inverebrates as well.

▪CB1receptors are found primarily in the brain, specifically in the basal ganglia and in the limbic
system, including the hippocampus. They are also found in the cerebellum and in both male and
female reproductive systems. CB1 receptors are essentially absent in the medulla oblongata, the
part of the brain stem that is responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular functions. Thus, there
is not a risk of respiratory or cardiovascular failure as there is with many other drugs. CB1
receptors appear to be responsible for the euphoric and anticonvulsive effects of cannabis.

▪CB2 receptors are almost exclusively found in the immune system, with the greatest density in
the spleen. While generally found only in the peripheral nervous system, a report does indicate
that CB2 is expressed by a subpopulation of microglia in the human cerebellum. CB2 receptors
appear to be responsible for the anti-inflammatory and possibly other therapeutic effects of
cannabis.
(Taken almost verbatum from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoids )
 Endocannabinoids: Anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine)
and 2-Aracidonoylglycerol

2-Arachidonoylglycerol

Anandemide

Ananamide (AEA) and the more common 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are endogenous or endo-
cannabinoids. The complexities of their roles in normal physiology are still being worked out. The ability of
AEA to bind the CB receptors was discovered first, but it was eventually seen that the concentration of 2-AG
in the brain exceeds AEA’s by many hundreds of times. The final story is likely to be complex, as CB1 and
CB2 receptors are found on a variety of cell types and are involved in appetite regulation and immune
system activity as well as activities in the CNS. In general, both endocannabinoids are synthesized by the
cleavage of membrane phospholipids in the post-synaptic neuron when the appropriate signal turns on the
appropriate phospholipase (D or C respectively) or lipase activities. Once created, these neutral molecules
diffuse across the synapse in a retrograde (backward) fashion and their uptake at the pre-synaptic neuron
acts to inhibit the release of its neurotransmitter. Degradation of these materials is accomplished by fatty
acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) which cleaves anandamide, and monoglyceride lipase(MGLL), which
cleaves 2-AG to arachidonic acid & ethanolamine and arachidonic acid & glycerol, respectively.
THC binds to the presynaptic anandemide receptor

The active ingredient of cannabis is ∆ 9-

tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) and it is thought
to exert its effect by binding to cannabinoid CB1
receptors on pre-synaptic nerve terminals in the
brain. ∆9-THC binding to CB1 receptors activates
G-proteins that activate/inhibit a number of signal
transduction pathways. The G-proteins directly
inhibit N and P/Q-type voltage dependant calcium
channels and sodium channels and indirectly
inhibit A-type calcium channels via inhibition of
adenylate cyclase. ∆9-THC binding and G-protein
activation also activates inwardly rectifying
potassium channels and the MAP kinase signalling
pathway. The cumulative effect of these
pathways in the CNS is (the retardation of
GABA release and)the euphoric feelings
associated with cannabis use.
 Medical Marijuana

National Organization
for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws
Cannabis’ Supposed Therapeutic Effects