The legal environment surrounding cannabis and hemp in the United States, Canada, and many other countries around the globe is rapidly changing. No longer does this plant carry the stigma of the 20th century. Over the past decade, it has become commonly accepted that cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes synthesized by Cannabis spp. can positively affect well-being, but there has been little consideration for potentially adverse phenotypic and sociological outcomes. Nonetheless, the realities of CB1 and CB2 receptors and the endocannabinoid system argue in favor of more research and understanding of phytocannabinoids and their role in physiology.
In the U.S.,, Brian Handwerk writes that contemporary marijuana typically contains 18% to as much as 30% THC. Levels of THC this high are an order of magnitude more potent than the marijuana of the 1980s.
