marijuana
(also spelled MARIHUANA)

 

--the Indian hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, or the crude drug composed of its leaves and flowers--

It is usually dried and crushed and put into pipes or formed into cigarettes (reefers, or joints) for smoking. The drug--known by a variety of other names, including pot, tea, grass, and weed--can also be added to foods and beverages. Marijuana varies in potency, depending on where and how it is grown, prepared for use, or stored. The active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is present in all parts of both the male and female plants, but is most concentrated in the resin in the flowering tops of the female plant.  A more powerful form of the drug, hashish, is made by collecting and drying this resin.