Impact of Oral Cannabis Consumption on Health: A Cross-sectional Study

Cannabis is one of the common substances of abuse globally as well as in India. Literature reveals that the cannabis is being used for medicinal and religious purposes in India since 1000 BC. It is also recorded in ancient Atharvaveda where it is described as one of the five sacred plants on Earth.[1] The cannabis commonly used in India is derived from the flowers, leaves, fruit, young twigs, and bark of the stem of the plant Cannabis sativa, which belongs to the family Cannabaceae. Cannabis in India is usually used in forms such as hashish, bhang, ganja, and charas.[1] Interestingly, all other forms of cannabis except bhang are banned as per the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.[1]