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How Is Medical Marijuana Made and Used? According to the Mayo Clinic, “medical marijuana is made from the dried leaves and buds of the cannabis sativa plant.” Once the marijuana has been dried it can be used in several ways. It can be: • Smoked • Inhaled through a vaporizer • Eaten in a food • Drunk in tea or another beverage Medical marijuana can also be put in creams and applied to the skin. And more recently, various companies have begun to make pills and drops that contain either substances found in marijuana or the whole plant. The Anatomy of Medical Marijuana When you think of marijuana, you may think about people “getting high” or “getting stoned.” But medical marijuana actually has two key chemicals that have been shown to have medicinal effects. These substances are called cannabinoids. Each of them reacts with receptors in your body to produce a certain effect. Only one of them creates mental effects. The two main substances are called: • Cannabidiol (CBD) • Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Medical marijuana became legal in Canada in 2001.

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