176 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



is present in the staminate plant of Cannabis gigantea. The non- 

 flowering herb yields about 1 per cent of a narcotic volatile oil which 

 has an odor that is not unpleasant. The volatile alkaloid cannabinene 

 is supposed to be trimethylamine. 



CANNABJS AMERICANA. American Cannabis. The flowering 

 and fruiting tops of the pistillate plants of Cannabis sativa (Fam. 

 Moraceae) grown in the United States. This drug was at one time 

 official, but owing to the fact that the Indian Government has 

 placed an export duty upon the East Indian hemp, American man- 

 ufacturers have renewed their interest in the possibilities of obtain- 

 ing American supplies. Experiments have been made in growing 

 the American Cannabis in various parts of the United States, and 

 while the reports at first showed that the drug only contained from 

 50 to 85 per cent of the activity of the Indian drug, yet later reports 

 have been more encouraging. 



Description. Varying from light green to greenish-brown and 

 consisting of the stems, foliage leaves, flowers and more or less 

 mature fruits; stems cylindrical, of variable length, and not more 

 than 2.5 mm. in thickness; longitudinally furrowed, light green to 

 light brown, strigose-pubescent ; leaves digitately-compound; leaf- 

 lets linear-lanceolate, nearly sessile, margin deeply serrate, other- 

 wise as in Indian Cannabis. 



Powder. Dark green to greenish-brown, resembling Indian 

 Cannabis, but with a larger proportion of tissues of the stem and 

 leaves. 



Allied Plants. Owing to the high price of East Indian Cannabis, 

 for reasons already stated, the drug has been imported to some 

 extent from other countries. An African Cannabis has been imported 

 which, while not of as good appearance as the East Indian drug, 

 yielded 14.06 per cent of a resin having full therapeutic activity. 

 A Turkish Cannabis has been imported which yielded 9 per cent of 

 resin, having the average therapeutic activity of the standard drug 

 When it is recalled that there is shipped from India very large quan- 

 tities of an inferior grade of Cannabis tops at a very much lower 

 price, and upon which there is placed a very low rate of export duty 

 or it comes in duty free, then it would seem that manufacturers were 

 justified in encouraging the importation of the Cannabis grown 

 in other countries than India. No harm can arise from the use 

 of these different varieties, as reliable manufacturers market prep- 

 arations on the basis of their physiological activity and are not 

 likely to use inferior drugs, because it is far more expensive and unsat- 

 isfactory. The only logical limitation of source in the Pharma- 



