Marijuana Fun Facts: 6 Interesting Things To Know About Weed After Twitter Trends Cannabis Trivia

By Janice Williams

The year 2016 was a big one for marijuana in the United States. Several states passed new legislation allowing legal use of cannabis in some capacity and states that were already approved for legal pot use saw huge dividends from marijuana sales. In fact, the industry as a whole generated more than $6.7 billion in marijuana sales, according to a Tuesday Forbes report.

Despite the action being taken to end marijuana reform throughout the country, there’s still a lot of opponents of the plant, many of whom don’t actually know or understand the many positives a little bit of weed can bring. That may be why the hashtag, #MarijuanaFunFacts, started to trend on Twitter Thursday, as many people on social media took a moment to educate the masses on a few fun facts and myths surrounding one of Earth’s most popular plants.

Check out a few interesting facts about marijuana below:
1. No one actually knows marijuana’s true origins. The first time pot was referenced in written text, it was apparently used for its medicinal properties. However, the actual origins of weed’s first textual reference is a little unclear. The first document discussing weed lies in the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum in Arlinton, Virginia, according to LiveScience, and it states the first time cannabis was used was in 2727 B.C. by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. It’s unclear if Nung was actually an emperor in China, because the first documented emperor came much later in 260 B.C. when Qin Shi Huang gained power. Not to mention, the earliest written documents from the Chinese empire date to the Shang Dynasty between 1200 B.C. and 1050 B.C.

2. Hemp and pot are not the same. Industrial hemp plants are in the same botanical species as marijuana plants, but they’re don’t produce tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC), which is the psychoactive ingredient associated with cannabis’ high-effect.

3. No overdoses have been reported from marijuana use. Although people have died in accidents related to marijuana use, there is no evidence that anyone has actually died from consuming too much marijuana.

4. Cats and dogs can benefit from medical marijuana, too. Like people, animals with debilitating diseases can also get help from cananbis’ medical properties. Veterinarians have reported improved health in cats and dogs who suffer from anxiety and seizures that have been prescribed medical marijuana products like Canna-Pet and other non-psychoactive cannabis-based tinctures.

5. Not all pot is green. Although often referred to as greens or grass, not all marijuana is green in color. Some strains can appear yellow, purple or even blue and can change colors as the buds grow into flowers. Similar to leaves, some strains of pot will change colors when temperatures drop, evolving from greens to reds, orange shades, yellow or gold as colder temperatures start to restrict chlorophyll production.

6. People of color are more likely to be busted for marijuana. A recent ACLU report found that of the 2.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, more than 80 percent of them were for simple possession charges. Although user rates were equal across races, the report also said black people were 3.37 times more likely to be arrested for pot than whites.