ABSTRACT
The drug cannabis is the most widely abused illicit drug in the developed world. Cannabis is the generic name given to the collection of materials derived from different parts of the Cannabis sativa plant, chie¯y the ¯owering buds and leaves from the upper parts of the mature plant. The buds or `` heads'' are rich in a sticky, resinous substance that contains high concentrations of cannabinoid compounds. Although numerous cannabinoids have been identi®ed in the cannabis plant, the primary psychoactive constituent is a single cannabinoid named delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (9-THC). THC is to cannabis as nicotine is to tobacco: different plants and plant strains of varying quality may yield differing quantities of THC, and the means of both preparation and administration of the cannabis plant material in¯uences the amount of THC available to the consumer. Ultimately, in producing the primary psychoactive effects of cannabis consumption, THC, like nicotine, is the substance primarily responsible for the psychoactive effects sought by users.
