Should marijuana be legalised for recreational use in Canada?: Mary Jane, oh how I love your name.

Mary Jane, Ganja, Reefer, Chronic, Sticky Icky, Kush, Weed, Cannabis or the one name that is familiar to everybody; Marijuana. This one substance has always been a huge talk of discussion since before time. According to About.com, marijuana is the most widely used drug in the world, with a 2006 survey stating that there are a estimated 14.8 million users in the United States alone. This blog is strictly to bring awareness of certain facts about marijuana to the general public who are not aware, and also to refresh the memories of those who are. Marijuana has always been a controversial topic to begin with. Some people think of it as a gateway drug that will lead to destruction, while other have involved it in religious purposes such as the Rastafarian religion.

I shall take you back in time with a quick brief of what marijuana is. Why do people smoke it? what effects or feelings does it give? and why is it banned? First off marijuana is a leaf that is grown. According to medical news today.com, it has 3 variates of plants which are Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica and Cannabis ruderalis.The word marijuana, with its current meaning, is said to come from Mexican Spanish, which then spread to other Spanish-speaking nations, and then made its way into English, and other languages as well. Marijuana, which means "Maria" (Mary) and "Juana" (Joan or Jane), is sometimes misspelled as marihuana or mariguana. The active ingredient in marijuana is called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short.

There are many ways one can smoke marijuana. The buds of the leaf are generally smoked and not the actual leaf. However in some places in the world, the leaves can be grinded into a certain slimy substance which can be mixed in drinks and ingested. The most common way to smoke marijuana is through a joint, or a spliff as some might call it. It is usually a very thin paper that gives the least chemicals whilst burning if the smoker decides to roll his weed. Another very common way to smoke it is in a blunt. A blunt is usually cigar paper but also can be a tobacco leaf. The smoke would get there marijuana "high" as well as a mix of tobacco in it as well if they smoke cigarettes. The third most common way of smoking marijuana is through a bong. It is a long glass pipe that is filled with water, and has a stem which is filled with marijuana. Once the stem is lit, the smoke travels through the water to give the smoker a more cleaner and rich form of smoke to be inhaled that travels upwards out of the bong through the hole. Over the years however, other ways of smoking have included pipes, vapourisers, flavoured zig zags etc. So grab your seats, free your minds and lets explore natures own; marijuana