cannabis

Cannabis Cannabis, it’s the most frequently used illicit substance in the United States, and arguably, one of the most controversial. Cannabis, or marijuana, is a drug derived from certain strains of the plant Cannabis Sativa. The plant's flowers and leaves contain chemical compounds called cannabinoids, which produce cannabis's mind altering effects. This high is largely caused by the cannabinoid called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. When THC from cannabis is ingested or inhaled, it overwhelms the body's natural levels of THC in the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. In the brain, THC attaches to neurons that send information via chemicals known as neurotransmitters. The THC decreases the amount of neurotransmitters the neurons produce, thereby decreasing the amount of information transmitted. This results in psychoactive effects such as lack of coordination, memory loss, hallucinations, and increased appetite. Because of some of these psychoactive effects, cannabis had been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Then around the 20th century, cannabis became more accessible and more widely used for recreational purposes. But by the late 1960s, the use and possession of cannabis became illegal in many countries due to debate surrounding the drug's effects. Opponents state that the dangers of cannabis include inducing heart attacks, decreasing sperm count, and stunting brain development, particularly in teenagers. Proponents, especially of medicinal marijuana, site benefits including treating seizures, relieving chronic pain, and preventing nausea induced by chemotherapy. Because of cannabis's costs and benefits, many countries continue to wrestle with how to best approach and regulate the controversial substance.  cannabis [ˈkænəbɪs] n. 大麻，大麻制品 cannabis sativa [ˈkænəbɪs səˈtivə] n. 大麻 marijuana [ˌmærəˈwɑːnə] n. 大麻 illicit [ɪˈlɪsɪt] adj. 非法的；违法的；社会不容许的 substance [ˈsʌbstəns] n. 物质；材料；事实基础，根据；实质；要点 arguably [ˈɑːɡjuəbli; ˈɑːrɡjuəbli] adv.（常用于形容词比较级或最高级前）可论证地，按理，可能 controversial [ˌkɒntrəˈvɜːʃl; ˌkɑːntrəˈvɜːrʃl] adj. 有争议的；引起争论的 derive [dɪˈraɪv] v. 从…衍生出；起源于；来自；（从…中）得到，获得（《背诵营1》第51课学过） strain [streɪn] n. 压力；拉力，张力；紧张；（肌肉等软组织的）损伤，拉伤，扭伤；类型；品质 vt. 滤，过滤（食物） compound [ˈkɒmpaʊnd; ˈkɑːmpaʊnd] n. 化合物；混合物；合成词，复合词 adj. 复合的；混合的 cannabinoid [‘kænəbi,nɔid] n. 大麻素（大麻中的任意化学成分） high [haɪ] n.（毒品、酒精或宗教体验引起的）高潮，快感，极乐 tetrahydrocannabinol [ˌtetrəˌhaɪdrəkəˈnæbənɒl] n. 四氢大麻酚（THC） ingest [ɪnˈdʒest] vt. 摄取；咽下；食入 inhale [ɪnˈheɪl] v. 吸气；吸入 overwhelm [ˌəʊvəˈwelm] vt. 制服；击败；强烈的感情充溢，难以承受；淹没，覆盖（《背诵营1》第84课学过overwhelming） cardiovascular [ˌkɑːdiəʊˈvæskjələ(r); ˌkɑːrdioʊˈvæskjələr] adj. 心血管的 neuron [ˈnjʊərɒn; ˈnʊrɑːn] n. 神经元 neurotransmitter [ˈnjʊərəʊtrænzmɪtə(r); ˈnʊroʊtrænzmɪtər] n. 神经递质 decrease [dɪ’kriːs] v.（使）减少；（使）下降 [ˈdiːkriːs] n. 减少；下降；降低（《背诵营1》第90课学过decreased） psychoactive [ˌsaɪkəʊˈæktɪv] adj. 影响心理状态的；作用于精神的 coordination [kəʊˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃn; koʊˌɔːrdɪˈneɪʃn] n. 协作；协调；配合 hallucination [həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃn] n. 幻觉，幻视，幻听（尤指生病或毒品所致） medicinal [məˈdɪsɪnl] adj. 有疗效的；药用的；药的 accessible [əkˈsesəbl] adj. 可到达的；可接近的；可进入的；可使用的；容易理解的；易懂的 recreational [ˌrekriˈeɪʃənl] adj. 娱乐的；消遣的 opponent [əˈpəʊnənt] n. 反对者；对手，竞争者 sperm [spɜːm; spɜːrm] n. 精子 stunt [stʌnt] n.（尤指电影中的）特技表演；意在引人注目的花招，噱头 vt. 妨碍……的正常生长；阻碍……的充分发展 proponent [prəˈpəʊnənt] n. 倡导者；支持者；拥护者 site [saɪt] n. 地点；位置 vt. 设置；为…选址 seizure [ˈsiːʒə(r); ˈsiːʒər] n. 占领，夺取，攫取；查封，没收，充公；（疾病，尤指脑病的）侵袭，发作 chronic [ˈkrɒnɪk; ˈkrɑːnɪk] adj. 慢性的；长期的 nausea [ˈnɔːziə] n. 恶心；作呕；反胃 chemotherapy [ˌkiːməʊˈθerəpi] n.（尤指对癌的）化学治疗，化学疗法，化疗 wrestle [ˈresl] v. 摔跤；使劲搬动；斗争；奋力对付 regulate [ˈreɡjuleɪt] vt. 调节；规定；控制；校准；有系统地管理