An Overview of Cannabis Allergy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58931/cait.2022.2234Abstract
Cannabis refers to a genus of annual, herbaceous, dioecious flowering plants that are members of the family Cannabaceae, which include about 102 plant species.Although there is much debate, the most common taxonomy is that the genus Cannabis comprises one species, Cannabis sativa L (C. sativa)., which includes the highly polymorphic subspecies sativa, and indica. Hemp and cannabis both refer to the same species C. sativa; however, there is important distinction between the two. Whereas hemp (fiber-type) is grown for its cellulose-rich fiber in the stem, cannabis (drug-type) is cultivated for its flowers where the glandular trichomes produce the psychoactive delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC provides the analgesic and relaxing effects of cannabis, whereas CBD produces other effects such as antiemetic and soporific properties. Researchers have used the THC content to define C. sativa subspecies sativa as containing less than 0.3% THC in dried flowering tops of female plants and C. sativa subspecies indicaas containing ≥0.3% THC.This threshold has been used by regulatory bodies to legally differentiate hemp plants (<0.3% THC) and cannabis plants (≥0.3% THC). Canada legalized the production, distribution, sale and non-medical use of cannabis for adults in October 2018. Recent data from nation-wide surveys show that approximately 6.2 million people aged 15 or older, or 20% in this age group, reported using cannabis in the past 3 months. which represents an increase from 14% before legalization. Cannabis can be used and/or ingested in a variety of forms including capsules, oils, dried flower, vaporization and through the consumption of edibles. With the increased use of recreational cannabis in Canada, it is expected that there will be a concomitant increase in cases of cannabis hypersensitivity.
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