Prior to the advent of synthetic fibers, the cannabis plant was cultivated for the tough fiber of its stem. In the United Stated, cannabis is legitimately grown only for scientific research. In fact, since 1980, the United States has been the only country where cannabis is licitly cultivated for scientific research.
Cannabis contains chemicals called cannabinoids that are unique to the cannabis plant.
Cannabis products are usually smoked. Their effects are felt within minutes, reach their peak in 10 to 30 minutes, and may linger for two or three hours. The effects experienced often depend upon the experience and expectations of the individual user as well as the activity of the drug itself. Low doses tend to induce a sense of well-being and a dreamy state of relaxation, which may be accompanied by a more vivid sense of sight, smell, taste, and hearing as well as by subtle alterations in thought formation and expression. This state if intoxication may not be noticeable to an observer.