stress relief, and for an overall sense of calm and serenity. They are supposedly
effective for overall body pain relief, and often used in the treatment of insomnia;
they are the late-evening choice of many smokers as an aid for uninterrupted sleep.”
1.6.4.6 Physiology
Most marijuana strains originated from relatively low latitudes, compared to cul-
tivars grown forfiber and oilseed, which are adapted to more northern areas. As a
result, marijuana strains (at least those of the predominant sativa-type) tend to be
photoperiodially adapted to a relatively long season. Marijuana strains may also
tend to be adapted to warmer conditions than mostfiber strains.
Clarke ( 1998 ) and McPartland and Guy ( 2004 ) interpreted indica-type strains as
having evolved in the cold, arid regions of Afghanistan and western Turkmenistan,
and explained their short height as an adaptation to the relatively short growing
season. The relatively early-flowering nature of indica-type strains is also an
adaptation to a relatively short growing season. Because indica-type marijuana
strains seems to have originated from arid areas, they are not adapted to
high-humidity climates, and when exposed to very most conditions their dense
flowering tops retains moisture and succumb to“bud mold”caused byBotrytis
cinereaandTrichothecium roseum(McPartland et al. 2000 ).
1.6.4.7 Cannabinoid Profile
There have been numerous studies of cannabinoid variation, mostly employing the
predominance of either THC or CBD respectively as indicators of intoxicating
marijuana kinds and non-intoxicating hemp kinds (examples: Fetterman et al. 1971 ;
Small and Beckstead1973a,b; Small et al. 1975 ; Avico et al. 1985 ). Many pub-
lications have recognized“chemical phenotypes”based particularly on ratios of
THC and CBD in the resin, or on the presence of one of the less common
cannabinoids.
Small and Cronquist ( 1976 ) and Small et al. ( 1976 ) recognized two subspecies
using a dividing line of 0.3% THC (dry weight content in the inflorescence or young
infructescence):C. sativasubsp.sativawith <0.3% andC. sativasubsp.indica
with >0.3%. This classification was adopted in the European Community, Canada,
parts of Australia, and the U.S.S.R. as a criterion between cultivars that can be
legally cultivated under licence and forms that are considered to have too high a drug
potential (in some countries the allowable level is currently different). The 113th U.
S. Congress enacted the Agricultural Act of 2014 (“farm bill,”P.L. 113-79), which
provided a statutory definition of“industrial hemp”as the plantCannabis sativaL.
and any part of such plant with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration
of not more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis. A level of about 1% THC is considered
the threshold for marijuana to have intoxicating potential, so the 0.3% level is
conservative, and some jurisdictions (e.g. Switzerland and parts of Australia) have
1 Classification ofCannabis sativaL. in Relation... 31