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What Is Marijuana? Right behind caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, marijuana is the most commonly used psychoactive (mood-altering) drug in the United States. It is estimated that 70 million Americans have tried marijuana at least once and 11.1 million Americans are current users. The average age people start smoking marijuana is under 14 years. Marijuana's scientific name is Cannabis Sativa (the hemp plant), and it grows wild in temperate and tropical climates. Most wild marijuana is considered inferior to cultivated marijuana because it contains a low concentration of Delta -9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cultivated marijuana contains ten times the THC of wild marijuana. THC is the primary mind-altering agent in marijuana and is highly concentrated in the flowering tops and upper leaves of the female plant. Twenty-five percent of the marijuana consumed in the United states is domestically grown. Major producers of marijuana include Alabama, Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and California. The growing marijuana plant normally has an odd number of leaves per stem, such as five, seven, or nine, and can grow up to twenty feet high. When prepared for use as a drug, marijuana consists of dried and crushed leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. In small doses, marijuana acts as a sedative. In larger amounts, it can cause hallucinations. The cannabis plant contains more than 430 chemicals. Many of these chemicals severely affect the user's health. The potency of marijuana varies, depending on the type and part of the plant used, and whether it has been treated with other chemicals. Dealers may treat marijuana with PCP, fentanyl nitrate, or embalming fluid to increase its potency. Doctored marijuana is extremely dangerous.