Cannabis

Botanical Characteristics

• Cannabis is an annual, dioecious, flowering herb.
• Leaves are palmately compound or digitate with serrate leaflets.
• Cannabis has a unique venation pattern for easy identification.
• Reproduction involves wind pollination and achene fruit.
• Microscopic examination accurately identifies cannabis samples.

Reproduction and Sex Determination

• Most cannabis strains are short-day plants.
• Cannabis is predominantly dioecious with separate male and female plants.
• Monoecious varieties exist with both male and female flowers on individual plants.
• Cannabis has a complex sex determination mechanism, including an XY system.
• Dioecious varieties are preferred for drug and fiber production.

Legal Status and Uses

• Legal history of cannabis in the U.S. has evolved over time.
• Cannabis indica, ruderalis, and sativa are common species.
• Hemp is a term used for non-drug cannabis varieties.
• Cannabis has multiple uses, including medicinal and recreational purposes.
• Industrial hemp products are made from selected cannabis plants.

Genetics and Taxonomy

• Cannabis is diploid with a chromosome complement of 2n=20.
• The genome size of Cannabis is estimated to be 820 Mb.
• Taxonomists debate whether Cannabis constitutes a single species or multiple species.
• Various types of Cannabis have been described based on their use.
• Taxonomic revisions have aimed to streamline the classification for better understanding and legal clarity.

Historical Classifications and Legal Significance

• Early classifications by Linnaeus and Lamarck identified different species of Cannabis.
• Sizov proposed a complex classification recognizing C. sativa and C. indica as separate species.
• Legal battles in North America targeted products of C. sativa as prohibited materials.
• Botanists like Dr. Ernest Small and Dr. Richard E. Schultes provided expert testimony in court cases.
• Taxonomic revisions by experts influenced legal interpretations of Cannabis-related laws.

Cannabis Data Sources