difference in cannabis

Genetics, I'd presume.

 

A little cut and paste from the grow forum.
Indica....higher CBD than THC equals heavier, sleepy type of high. Yield is usually higher than Sativa, and shorter growing season. Better for indoor growing, because they don't get as tall.
Sativa....higher THC than CBD equals cerebral, soaring type of high, more energetic Yield is usually lower than Indica, but is very potent. eg: Thai Sativa grow taller and have a longer flowering period, so they are better suited for outdoors.


Its the alphabet soup apparently.

This is a pretty complex formula, so pardon the oversimplified version above.

Here's a sight that has much more detail.
http://users.lycaeum.org/~sky/data/mjgrowers.html

 

Marijuana grown in the United States is usually one of two main types: inidica or sativa. Indica plants originated in the Hindu-Kush valleys in central Asia, which is located between the 25-35 latitudes. The weather there is changeable. One year there may be drought, the next it might be cloudy, wet, rainy or sunny. For the population to survive, the plant group needs to have individuals which survive and thrive under different conditions. Thus, in any season, no matter what the weather, some plants will do well and some will do poorly.
Indica was probably developed by hash users for resin content, not for flower smoking. The resin was removed from the plant. An indication of indica's development is the seeds, which remain enclosed and stick to the resin. Since they are very hrd to disconnect from the plant, they require human help. Wild plants readily drop seeds once they mature. Plants from the same line from equatorial areas are usually fairly uniform. These include Colombians and central Africans. Plants from higher latitudes of the same line sometimes have very different characteristics. These include Southern Africans, Northern Mexicans, and indicas. The plants look different from each other and have different maturities and potency. The ratio of THC (the ingredient which is psychoactive) to CBD (its precursor, which often leaves the smoker feeling disoriented, sleepy, drugged or confused) also varies.
High latitude sativas have the same general characteristics: they tend to mature early, have compact short branches and wide, short leaves which are dark green, sometimes tinged purple.
Indica buds are usually tight, heavy, wide and thick rather than long. They smell "stinky", "skunky", or "pungent" and their smoke is thick - a small toke can induce coughing. The best indicas have a relaxing "social high" which allow one to sense and feel the environment but do not lead to thinking about or analyzing the experience. Cannabis sativa plants are found throughout the world. Potent varieties such as Colombian, Panamanian, Mexican, Nigerian, Congolese, Indian and Thai are found in equatorial zones. These plants require a long time to mature and ordinarily grow in areas where they have a long season. They are usually very potent, containing large quanities of THC and virtually no CBD. They have long, medium-thick buds when they are grown in full equatorial sun, but under artificial light or even under the temperate sun, the buds tend to run (not fill out completely). The buds usually smell sweet or tangy and the smoke is smooth, sometimes deceptively so. The THC to CBD ratio of sativa plants gets lower as the plants are found further from the equator. Jamaican and Central Mexican varieties are found at the 15-20th latitudes. At the 30th latitude, varieties such as Southern African and Northern Mexican are variable and may contain equal amounts of THC and CBD, giving the smoker and buzzy, confusing high. These plants are used mostly for hybridizing. Plants found above the 30th latitude usually have low levels of THC, with high levels of CBD and are considered hemp. If indica and sativa varieties are considered opposite ends of a spectrum, most plants fall in between the spectrum. Because of marijuana and hemp's long symbiotic relationship with humans, seeds are constantly procured or traded so that virtually all populations have been mixed with foreign plants at one time or another.
Even in traditional marijuana-growing countries, the marijuana is often the result of several cross lines. Jamaican ganja, for example, is probably the result of crosses between hemp, which the English cultivated for rope, and Indian ganja, which arrived with the Indian immigrants who came to the country. The term for marijuana in Jamaic in ganja, the same as in India. The traditional Jamaican term for the best weed is Kali, named for the Indian killer goddess.


Much to learn, much to read.

 

Cannabidiol

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<TABLE class=toccolours id=drugInfoBox style="CLEAR: right; BACKGROUND: #ffffff; FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0.5em 1em" cellPadding=1 width=280 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle colSpan=2>Cannabidiol
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle bgColor=#dddddd colSpan=2>Systematic (IUPAC) name</TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; TEXT-ALIGN: center" bgColor=#eeeeee colSpan=2>2-((1S,6S)-3-methyl-6-(prop-1-en-2-yl)
cyclohex-2-enyl)-5-pentylbenzene-1,3-diol</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#dddddd colSpan=2>Identifiers</TD></TR><TR><TD width=90 bgColor=#ddeeff>CAS number</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>13956-29-1</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ddeeff>ATC code</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>noentry</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ddeeff>PubChem</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>644019</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ddeeff>DrugBank</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>none</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#dddddd colSpan=2>Chemical data</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ddeeff>Formula</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>C[SUB]21[/SUB]H[SUB]30[/SUB]O[SUB]2[/SUB]<SUP> </SUP></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ddeeff>Mol. mass</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>314.46</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ddeeff>SMILES</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>eMolecules & PubChem</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#dddddd colSpan=2>Physical data</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ddeeff>Melt. point</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>66 C (151 F)</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#dddddd colSpan=2>Pharmacokinetic data</TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" bgColor=#ddeeff>Bioavailability</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee> ?</TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" bgColor=#ddeeff>Metabolism</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee> ?</TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" bgColor=#ddeeff>Half life</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee> ?</TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" bgColor=#ddeeff>Excretion</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee> ?</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#dddddd colSpan=2>Therapeutic considerations</TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" bgColor=#ddeeff>Pregnancy cat.</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee>?
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" bgColor=#ddeeff>Legal status</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee></TD></TR><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" bgColor=#ddeeff>Routes</TD><TD bgColor=#eeeeee> ?</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is a cannabinoid found in Cannabis. It is a major constituent of the plant, representing up to 40% in its extracts.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Grlie_1976_0-0>[1]</SUP>
CBD alone is not intoxicating, but it appears to moderate the euphoric effect of THC (which is an isomer of cannabidiol) and add a sedative quality.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-pmid6269680_1-0>[2]</SUP> Some research, however, indicates that CBD can increase alertness.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-2>[3]</SUP> It may decrease the rate of THC clearance from the body, perhaps by interfering with the metabolism of THC in the liver. CBD does not appear to affect either the CB[SUB]1[/SUB] or CB[SUB]2[/SUB] receptors.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-3>[4]</SUP>
Medically, it appears to relieve convulsion, inflammation, anxiety, and nausea, and to inhibit cancer cell growth<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-4>[5]</SUP>. Recent studies have shown cannabidiol to be as effective as atypical antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-5>[6]</SUP> In November 2007 it was reported that CBD reduces growth of aggressive human breast cancer cells in vitro and reduces their invasiveness. It thus represents the first non-toxic exogenous agent that can lead to down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-pmid18025276_6-0>[7]</SUP><SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-7>[8]</SUP>
<TABLE class=toc id=toc summary=Contents><TBODY><TR><TD>Contents

[hide]

• <LI class=toclevel-1>1 Medicinal use <LI class=toclevel-1>2 Pharmacology <LI class=toclevel-1>3 Chemistry <LI class=toclevel-1>4 References <LI class=toclevel-1>5 See also
• 6 External links

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>//<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]></SCRIPT>
[edit] Medicinal use

In April 2005, Canadian authorities approved the marketing of Sativex, a mouth spray for multiple sclerosis to alleviate pain. Sativex contains tetrahydrocannabinol together with cannabidiol. It is marketed in Canada by GW Pharmaceuticals.

[edit] Pharmacology

Cannabidiol does not bind to CB[SUB]1[/SUB] or CB[SUB]2[/SUB] receptors but it does block the effects of cannabinoid agonists by an unknown indirect way<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-8>[9]</SUP>. Recently it was found to be an antagonist at the putative new cannabinoid receptor, GPR55, a GPCR expressed in the caudate nucleus and putamen<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-9>[10]</SUP>.
Cannabidiol has also been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth, with low potency in non-cancer cells. Although the inhibitory mechanism is not yet fully understood, Ligresti et al suggest that "cannabidiol exerts its effects on these cells through a combination of mechanisms that include either direct or indirect activation of CB[SUB]2[/SUB] and TRPV1 receptors, and induction of oxidative stress, all contributing to induce apoptosis."<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-pmid16728591_10-0>[11]</SUP> In November 2007, researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center reported that CBD shows promise for controlling the spread of metastatic breast cancer. In-vitro CBD downregulates the activity of the gene Id-1 which is responsible for tumor metastasis.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-pmid18025276_6-1>[7]</SUP>

[edit] Chemistry

Cannabidiol is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. At room temperature it is a colorless crystalline solid<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-11>[12]</SUP>. In strongly basic medium and the presence of air it is oxidized to a quinone<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-12>[13]</SUP>. Under acidic conditions it cyclizes to THC<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-13>[14]</SUP>. The synthesis of cannabidiol has been accomplished by several research groups

 

And having read this, you now know that its classification as a schedule one drug by the FDA is an absolute farce.
A schedule one substance cannot have any medicinal application, or it must be placed on schedule two.

Sativex? What does GW pharmaceuticals know that the FDA is pretending NOT to know?

If it is medicine, it must be reclassified. Write your congressman. Not that even they can tell the FDA to re-classify, but try it, and see what they say.

 

It's the DEA's job to reclassify MJ, not the FDA's.
But I agree with you the classification is an absolute farce.

I don't know what pressure is put on the FDA to say it has no use, it'll be some backdoor political bs, but the DEA uses the FDA's rejection of MJ as an excuse to perpetuate the prohibition. The FDA is borderline incompetent at the best of times anyway so it's no surprise they can't get something as simple as this right.

The DEA flatout lies to us and the ONDCP "takes such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize" MJ coz that's what they're legally mandated to do.

Write to your elected officials telling them supporting the prohibition supports discrimination and denies us the ability to card MJ sales which of course makes it impossible to keep it outta the hands of minors. Tell them the "it'll send the wrong message" and "gateway" arguments are complete lies. They're just something the prohibitionists made up to protect their jobs and to end any debate on marijuana.

The entire DEA and ONDCP should be hauled before the Supreme Court and made to answer for the policies they've enforced in our communities and the alienation of our youth that they've created. Who knows what damage this alienation has already caused and will cause in future years.