Cannabis is a plant in the Cannabaceae, or hemp family. Parts of the plant, including dried flowers and leaves, have been used for medicinal and recreational purposes in numerous forms throughout history. The cannabis plant can also be used to make hemp products. The word “cannabis” is often used to refer to marijuana plants, cannabis extracts, or cannabis products in general.
Cannabis (/ˈkænəbɪs/ ⓘ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species being recognized: Cannabis sativa, C. indica, and C. ruderalis. Alternatively, C. ruderalis may be included within C. sativa, or all three may be treated as subspecies of C. sativa, or C. sativa may be accepted as a single undivided species.
| Cannabis Temporal range: Early Miocene – Present
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| Common hemp | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Cannabaceae |
| Genus: | Cannabis L. |
| Species | |
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The plant is also known as hemp, although this term is usually used to refer only to varieties cultivated for non-drug use. Hemp has long been used for fibre, seeds and their oils, leaves for use as vegetables, and juice. Industrial hemp textile products are made from cannabis plants selected to produce an abundance of fibre.
Cannabis also has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug known by several slang terms, such as marijuana, pot or weed. Various cannabis strains have been bred, often selectively to produce high or low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a cannabinoid and the plant's principal psychoactive constituent. Compounds such as hashish and hash oil are extracted from the plant. More recently, there has been interest in other cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN).
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cannabis (“hemp”), from Ancient Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis). See there for more. Doublet of canvas and hemp.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkænəbɪs/
- Hyphenation: can‧na‧bis
Noun
cannabis (countable and uncountable, plural cannabises)
- A tall annual dioecious plant (Cannabis, especially Cannabis sativa), native to central Asia and having alternate, palmately divided leaves and tough bast fibers.
- Synonyms:
