Please consider this series of introductory writing on the now-burgeoning CBD and marijuana industry to be an elementary English lesson to learn definitions while learning the industry and its products.

That sounds a bit condescending to you, I agree, but as I have explained last week, this field is full of nebulous writings and hype and seemingly vague promises. I wanted our readers to be well-prepared to deal with nebulosity, over-hype, bloated expectation and questionable efficacy and all the issues people will encounter using CBD as well as marijuana and their associated products.

Please remember you are dealing with a brand-new industry and its so-called products. You are then far better off knowing the exact definition of the words (yes, each word) the trade uses to define the phenomena. Yes, I would like you to be a hard-nosed English teacher (difficult to please) just like the one you encountered in your high school.

There are probably about 100 words in this CBD and marijuana Industry. Now lets start. The first word we would define is the word ”hemp,” the plant that forms the very foundation of this entire industry.

Now before we get ahead of ourselves (which you and I are likely to do as we know almost nothing about this confusing field), let us accurately define a few words of the trade, which are required knowledge. In the world of taxonomy classification, there are three words to define the ranks. The top-ranking word is “family” and below it is “genus” and the below it is “species,” as FIG 340-1 shows. This rank definition is common to all taxonomy classification.

Readers, I remind you that this section might be quite dull and boring. But, then some parts of any learning are always boring. But, by going over the fundamental definitions, you’ll be an expert soon. So, may I progress? So far you have learned three words to define the taxonomical rankings. Let’s use these words.

Cannabis s a genus of flowing plants in the family of Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is a subject of dispute. So far, three species are recognized. They are Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis. (See FIG. 340-3) The genus is recognized as being indigenous to and came from Central Asia as well as Southern Asia about 10,000 years ago.

Now the interesting part. The genus is also called hemp, the word used for farmed Cannabis variety for non-drug use or better expression would be for industrial uses. Cannabis is a very important plant throughout the history of human civilization. Throughout the civilized history, Cannabis has been continuously used to produce many important industrial products. The word hemp is more often used to express the non-pharmaceutical industrial products and not used for any medicinal purposes.

Throughout the history of cultivating Cannabaceae plants, many strains were created to suit the purpose of the end products. Some strains were made to produce very low level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent, while some strains were bred to produce a maximum amount of THC.

Now, due to the Thanksgiving Weekend, which includes Black Friday of wild shopping for Christmas, I have decided to cut short my dissertation of Cannabaceae word definition so that readers can concentrate on shopping.

To be continued next week.

This Companion to Aging column appears each week in the Seacoast Sunday features section. You can read earlier installments at www.seacoastonline.com. Please send your thoughts about aging to Sasano@umelink.com, Sam Asano, P.O. Box 26, New Castle, NH 03854 or (cell) 781-389-2356 or email Sam at sasano@umelink.com.