Cannabis is a drug that comes from the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of a cannabis sativa plant.
Cannabis is commonly referred to as weed or marijuana, though marijuana refers to a specific part of the cannabis plant that contains high amounts of the psychoactive compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which has mind-altering effects. CBD (cannabidiol) is another compound found in cannabis.
In a single year, 52.5 million people in the United States use cannabis at least once, according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Cannabis has a direct effect on the brain, specifically the parts used for learning, decision-making, emotion, memory, reaction time, coordination, and attention, the CDC states.
Marijuana is commonly smoked for recreational purposes. There are few prescription cannabis drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medicinal purposes. One example is Epidiolex, which is used to treat seizures.
The legalization of marijuana is a varying issue on a state-by-state basis. Some states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, while in others marijuana is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes.
Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina and Wyoming are the only states where marijuana is fully illegal.
