Cannabis FAQ

Excellent question. Cannabis is many things to many people, and its rich, multifaceted history is one for the ages. But first things first, cannabis refers to three distinct plants that grow all over the world: Cannabis indica, Cannabis sativa, and Cannabis ruderalis. In varying degrees, the flowers of each of these plants contain hundreds of chemical compounds called cannabinoids and terpenes that give cannabis its medicinal and/or psychoactive properties. Learn more about how our brains and bodies respond to cannabis here.

Cannabis—also known as marijuana, weed, and pot—has been used as herbal medicine since at least 500 BC. We know this because burned cannabis seeds were found buried with ancient shamans in China and Siberia. There’s some evidence that ancient cultures understood the psychoactive properties of cannabis, too: Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian described Iranian nomads in Central Asia (the Scythians) “inhaling the smoke from smoldering cannabis seeds and flowers to get high.”

In America, cannabis cultivation dates back to the 1600s, when colonists grew hemp to make clothing, sails, rope, and paper and ate hemp seeds as food. 200 years later, an Irish doctor named Sir William Brooke O’Shaughnessy discovered that cannabis extract could also alleviate cholera symptoms. Thanks to him, people could easily buy medicinal cannabis from pharmacies and doctors throughout the U.S. and Europe by the late 1800s.

Recreational cannabis use didn’t catch on until the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s. Mexican immigrants introduced the U.S. to their cultural cannabis practice, but instead of receiving it with gratitude… things took a turn. Unemployment and widespread hardship during the Great Depression fed a growing resentment of Mexican immigrants and their “evil weed.” Fueled by anti-immigrant paranoia, prohibition-era propaganda (like Reefer Madness) took hold, and by 1931, 29 states had outlawed cannabis. In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act criminalized cannabis at the federal level, setting the stage for the War on  Drugs—the 1970 brainchild of President Richard Nixon. As part of the War on Drugs, Nixon inaccurately listed marijuana as a dangerous Schedule 1 drug—alongside LSD, ecstasy, and heroin—with “no medical uses and a high potential for abuse.” Several studies proved this classification wrong, including a report from the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse titled  “Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,” which recommended lower penalties for personal marijuana possession. But Nixon ignored these findings and continued to spread false information about cannabis as a “gateway drug” through nationwide anti-drug programs like D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). In addition to wasting taxpayer money, these programs criminalized Black and Brown people and fueled the mass incarceration crisis. Still today, “Black people are 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person,” according to the ACLU.

In 1996, California became the first U.S. state to legalize medicinal cannabis, and today, marijuana is legal medicinally and/or recreationally in most states. At this point in time, marijuana is still illegal under U.S. federal law, but our collective understanding of its healing powers and connection to our bodies—as well as our awareness of the false, fear-led messaging that led to its bad reputation in the first place—is stronger every day.

So that… that’s cannabis.

That depends on where you live. While Verano believes in decriminalizing and democratizing cannabis for all, it’s still illegal in a handful of states. Find out if you live in a cannabis legal state with our tool.

Verano products are available at Zen Leaf and MÜV dispensaries, as well as a variety of wholesale dispensary partners across the country. Find your closest dispensary here.

Cannabis reactions vary from person to person, and your cannabis experience will greatly depend on the cannabinoid and terpene composition of the product you’re using. Generally, though, cannabis can help you feel more physically relaxed, and give you a heightened appreciation for food, light, color, touch, taste, and smell. Cannabis can also affect your emotional state, making you feel euphoric, creative, amused, or giggly. For more information on which types of cannabis can give you the specific benefits you’re looking for, read on.

Short answer: It all comes down to what the cannabis product is used for and the state laws where it’s used.  Longer answer: Cannabis is only considered ‘medical’ if it’s given to a state-qualified patient from a medical marijuana dispensary. Medical marijuana can be used to alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s, auto-immune diseases, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, glaucoma, cancer, and more. And while both medical and recreational marijuana are derived from the cannabis plant, medical cannabis treatments tend to contain more CBD and less psychoactive THC than recreational marijuana. The reason recreational cannabis usually favors THC is pretty simple: People often use recreational cannabis explicitly to get high. Of course, people can use medical marijuana to get high, too, but psychoactivity is not its primary purpose. Verano has both medical dispensaries and recreational cannabis dispensaries all over the country. Find your closest dispensary here.

First, if you’re concerned about the little bubble of air in your vape cartridge—don’t be! You’re still getting the cannabis oil you paid for. That gap of air is called headspace, and it’s there for a few reasons:

• Some cannabis oil has already been absorbed into your vape’s ceramic heating elements by the time it gets to you. That’s a good thing because it means you can start vaping right away, versus having to wait for oil absorption.
• Air pressure from pressing the mouthpiece into the reservoir naturally lowers the oil level. But…
• Your trusty Verano vape manufacturers always account for this phenomenon. We make our vapes a little bit bigger to hold the volume of cannabis oil you purchased plus headspace so you don’t have to miss out.

Then we want to meet you! Our work lights us up, and we’re always on the lookout for curious, ambitious team members. Check out our available career opportunities.

For more information on our investment opportunities, please visit our investor relations site.

That all depends on the effects you hope to achieve. Different strains with varying cannabinoid and terpene combinations will yield different benefits. Invigorating sativas are often associated with clear-headedness, enhanced creativity, and daytime use; sedative indicas usually represent relaxation, deep sleep, and a ‘body high’. And hybridization—cross breeding cannabis strains to maximize the desired benefits of both parents—widens your options even further. We recommend visiting your local dispensary for expert help choosing the right product for you. Appropriate dosing is another thing we suggest you talk to a budtender about. Cannabis is extremely safe, but consuming too much—or consuming a varietal that’s not best suited to your needs—might not give you the experience you want. It’s best to go slow, start with a low dose, and go from there… and a qualified budtender can tell you exactly how to do that. Find your closest dispensary, or contact our team of experts directly. We love curious cannabis fans!

For inquiries regarding partnerships with Verano or any of our sub-brands, please contact sammy@verano.com or david@verano.com.