Why is marijuana banned?

Marijuana is listed as one of the world's three major drugs, along with heroin and cocaine.

So why is hemp still cultivated for fiber and even oil?

That's because not all marijuana contains drug ingredients. Marijuana is divided into two subspecies: cultivated marijuana and Indian marijuana. Only the latter can provide drug raw materials. The most critical ingredient is a component called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Generally speaking, when the THC content in every 100 grams of dry marijuana is higher than 0.3%, it can be classified as a drug.

THC is a chemical that can act on our brains. It can make us forget fear and bring a comfortable feeling of pleasure. In fact, this reaction is discovered by farmers who work hard to harvest marijuana. Under the scorching sun, farmers who harvest marijuana feel refreshed and do not feel tired at all. This is the magical effect of THC.

Flowers and trichomes of a female cannabis strain

In fact, the human brain also secretes endocannabinoids similar to THC, which can help us erase memories of fear. In animal experiments, if we interfere with the process of endocannabinoids, mice will not be able to forget fear. From this perspective, the pleasure brought by THC may be related to this.

However, long-term and large-dose marijuana use will bring many problems, including "withdrawal symptoms". It should be noted that the core of the problem is not the harm of marijuana itself to the human body, but that after smoking a large amount of marijuana, the pleasure will gradually decrease. At this time, smokers will try stronger drugs, thus embarking on the road of no return to drug abuse.

As a result, marijuana is considered a drug that leads to sexual intercourse. The old Chinese saying, "Do not commit an evil no matter how small it is," is really appropriate when it comes to smoking marijuana. It was for this reason that the United States once banned the cultivation of marijuana in the mid-1930s.

Many times we are used to such a simple black-and-white dichotomy, so the reputation of the entire cannabis family is ruined because of the misstep of one subspecies. In fact, many cannabis species are innocent.

Dried cannabis flower with visible trichomes

THC in the Indian subspecies of cannabis is mainly found in the inflorescence bracts, female inflorescences and leaves, which are the real raw materials of drugs. The THC content in cannabis seeds is also extremely limited. The THC content in cultivated cannabis seeds is very small and has no possibility of causing addiction. Perhaps the merchants have to be mysterious to attract consumers' attention.

As for the legendary health-preserving effect of hemp oil, it is just as unreliable as THC in cultivated marijuana. In the publicity, it is often mentioned that hemp oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, proteins and minerals, and hemp oil is attributed to the important reason why Bama in Guangxi has become a longevity town. I don’t know whether the centenarians in Bama eat hemp oil every meal. I only know that the local water, soil, air and even the geomagnetic field are considered to be the reasons for longevity, but unfortunately, there is no clear evidence. Instead, the influx of health-conscious tourists has turned Bama upside down, and there is no longer the scene of an outdoor paradise.

Let's look back at the nutritional value of the oil itself. Not to mention that even if there are proteins and minerals, they are unlikely to appear in edible oils. Even if it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, hemp oil is not a holy product. The content of unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid in oils such as soybean oil and rapeseed oil is as high as over 70%. Therefore, it is not only hemp oil that has such a magical component. In addition, it should be noted that there is often a misunderstanding in our understanding that it is healthy to consume a little more unsaturated fatty acids on the basis of a normal diet. This is a big mistake. The correct approach is to replace all fats in the existing diet with unsaturated fatty acids, especially saturated fatty acids, which is a healthy choice. Simply put, drinking an extra small cup of hemp oil every day is completely unhelpful to health, but instead increases the total fat intake.

Of course, in addition to the ingredients, the flavor of the oil also affects the taste of the dishes. However, it is difficult for me to taste any wonderful flavor from hemp oil. It feels like soybean oil mixed with oil residue, that's all. If you pursue the flavor of the dishes, it is better to choose peanut oil and sesame oil. Just treat hemp oil as a new taste, don't pay too much attention to the special effects in the advertisements.