India hemp,scientifically known as cannabis sativa could be traced to china in the 6000 BC where its seeds were used as food & medicine,and has been used throughout history in many cultures to change mood,perception & consciousness i.e "to get high".Its effect range from increasing creativity to mystical experiences,to heightening the capacity to feel sense & share.It is the most popular "recreational drug" after alchol.Before users in Nigeria are mostly street urchins,touts,thugs,commercial drivers,but now,others like sttudents,university graduates,respectables professionals,highly placed civil servants & public office holders have join the league of smokers, Research on the effect of marijuana revealed that Marijuana impinges on the Central Nervous System by attaching to the brain neurones & interfering with normal communication.These nerves respond by altering their behaviour eg if the nerve is supposed to assist a person in retrieving short-term memory,cannabinoids receptors make them do the opposite,thereby,making the user to forget things easily.Marijuana,it was revealed contains 400 chemicals & 40 of them are cannabinoids which are psychoactive components that are produced inside the body after cannabis is metabolised.Cannabinoids is an active ingredient of marijuana.
The most psychoactive cannabinoid chemical in marijuana that has the biggest impact on the brain is tetrahydrocannibol THC.Psychiatrists who treat schizophrenic patients advise them not to use marijuana because it can trigger severe mental disturbances & can cause a relapse,