SEPARATING THE WEED FROM CHAFF

CANNABIS comes from Cannabis sativa, a bushy plant that grows in many parts
of the world and is also cultivated in Britain. The main active ingredients
in cannabis are the tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), which are the chemicals
that cause changes in the brain.

Different forms of cannabis come from different parts of the plant and have
different strengths. "Hashish" or "hash" is the commonest form found in the
UK. It is resin scraped or rubbed from the dried plant and then pressed
into brown/black blocks. It is mostly imported from Morocco, Pakistan,
Lebanon, Nepal and Afghanistan.

Herbal cannabis is made from the chopped, dried leaves of the plant. It is
also known as "grass", "weed" and "ganja" and is imported from Africa,
South America, Thailand and the West Indies.

According to Drugscope, the UK's leading drugs charity and centre of
expertise on drugs, some herbal cannabis is "homegrown" and cultivated in
Britain, sometimes on a large scale to sell but usually by individuals in
their homes or greenhouses for their own use.

Herbal cannabis is usually not as strong as the resin form. However, some
particularly strong herbal forms such as "sinsemilla" and "skunk" have
recently been cultivated in Holland and this country. Cannabis oil is the
least common form of cannabis found in the UK.

In the UK, cannabis is usually smoked rolled into a cigarette or joint,
often with tobacco. The herbal form is sometimes made into a cigarette
without using tobacco. Cannabis is also sometimes smoked in a pipe, brewed
into a tea or cooked into cakes.

Hemp is the fibre of the cannabis plant, used to make products including
rope, mats and clothing and cooking oil.