Chapter One

Marijuana: The Plant

 Cannabis probably evolved in the Himalayan foothills, but its origins are clouded by the plant's early symbiotic relationship with humans. It has been grown for three products-the seeds, which are used as a grainlike food and animal feed and for oil; its fiber, which is used for cloth and rope; and its resin, which is used medically and recreationally since it contains the group of psychoactive substances collectively known as Tetra-hydrocannibinol, usually referred to as THC. Plants grown for seed or fiber are usually referred to as hemp and contain small amounts of THC. Plants grown for THC and for the resin are referred to as marijuana.
 Use of cannabis and its products spread quickly throughout the world. Marijuana is now cultivated in climates ranging from the Arctic to the equator. Cannabis has been evolving for hundreds of thousands of generations on its own and through informal breeding programs by farmers. A diverse group of varieties has evolved or been developed as a result of breeders attempts to create a plant that is efficient at producing the desired product, which flourishes under particular environmental conditions.
 Cannabis easily escapes from cultivation and goes "wild". For instance, in the American midwest, stands of hemp "weed" remain from the 1940's plantings. These plants adapt on a population level to the particular environmental conditions that the plants face; the stand's genetic pool, and thus the plants' characteristics, evolve over a number of generations.
Varieties differ in growth characteristics such as height, width, branching traits, leaf size, leaf shape, flowering time, yield, potency, taste, type of high, and aroma. For the most part, potency is a factor of genetics. Some plants have the genetic potential of producing high grade marijuana and others do not. The goal of the cultivator is. to allow the high THC plants to reach their full potential.
 Marijuana is a fast growing annual plant, although some varieties in some warm areas over winter. It does best in a well-drained medium, high in fertility. It requires long periods of unobstructed bright light daily. Marijuana is usually dioecious; plants are either male or female, although some varieties are monoecious - they have male and female flowers on the same plant. Marijuana's annual cycle begins with germination in the early spring. The plant grows vigorously for several months. The plant begins to flower in the late summer or early fall and sets seed by late fall. The seeds drop as the plant dies as a result of changes in the weather. Indoors, the grower has complete control of the environment. The cultivator determines when the plants are to be started, when they will flower, whether they are to produce seed and even if they are to bear a second harvest.

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