Cannabis sativa

AKA Indian Hemp, Marijuana. A plant which once covered large swathes of the earth's surface, until some people started getting all arsey about other people enjoying themselves too much.

Ironically, there was a time in the US when it was illegal not to grow hemp.

Extremely useful for making ropes, sacks, biomass fuels and big fat chronic blunts.

The "new and improved" species of hemp carry only 0.3% THC (the active ingredient in pot). There's a new initiative to legalize the cultivation of large quantities of hemp for industrial use.

It's ridiculous that people would smoke or distill hemp as pot is so much easier to obtain and get a high from.

Cannabis sativa is a tall plant, generally between 8 and 12 feet. The leaves have long thin fingers and are light green. The more equatorial varieties have more yellow pigments to protect the plant from intense light. Sativa buds are long and thin and turn red as they mature in a warm environment. In cooler environments the buds may be slightly purple. Sativa plants smell sweet and fruity and the smoke is generally quite mild. It is a source of fiber for rope and other products and it contains THC which gives smokers the psychedelic effects they seek. The leaves of this plant are smoked, but the most highly prized part of the plant is the top.

See: cannabis indica