Weed comes in a lot of different strands. So many, that it is difficult to tell you the proportion of certain chemicals in each of its many strands; however, certain chemicals are present in each type. THC is an example of a compound that is pretty much always present.
It is roughly estimated that Cannabis has over 400 chemicals in it; however, only 61 of those chemicals is unique to the marijuana plant. The 61 that are unique are known as cannabinoids. They claim this name because they can only be found within the cannabis plant.
How Is Weed Unique?
The difficulty of finding the exact amount of chemicals in marijuana may make the question about how many chemicals are in weed hard to answer. The active component in marijuana was at first unidentifiable to chemists. That is because it is not an alkaloid so it could not be isolated until scientists had the technology in 1964.
It’s interesting to note that cannabis’s active agent may not alone be THC. Scientists believe that there could be as many as four active agents in the drug. They’re not quite sure what all of them are.
Should You Be Concerned?
One study, done in Canada, has shown some concern about the chemical, Ammonia, being present in high concentration when marijuana is burned. This study has mainly been proven to be biased since it did not control for the temperature for which the grass was burned. A nitrogen-based fertilizer was also used on the marijuana plant.
It Is Important To Note
Not everyone who uses cannabis is affected in the same way. Some promising studies have concluded that those who smoke the chemicals in marijuana may be more likely to develop a psychotic illness. This may be utterly false since it is just as likely that those who were going to develop psychotic illnesses anyway are more likely to smoke marijuana in their teens.
The Final Word
The chemicals in marijuana are safe in moderation. The problem is that not all of us are capable of partaking in this reduced form of weed consumption. It is never a good idea to smoke marijuana as a teenager and keep your consumption low because some presume that too much of a good thing could have an adverse effect.