cannabis

noun

can·na·bis | \ ˈka-nə-bəs

Definition of cannabis

1 : a tall Asian herb (Cannabis sativa of the family Cannabaceae, the hemp family) that has a tough fiber and is often separated into a tall loosely branched species (C. sativa) and a low-growing densely branched species (C. indica) : hemp sense 1a —used especially for cultivated varieties having high levels of THC

2a : the psychoactive dried flower buds, leaves, or preparations (such as hashish) or chemicals (such as THC) that are derived from the cannabis plant especially : marijuana

b : cannabinoid

Examples of cannabis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Marijuana — aptly rebranded as cannabis to veer away from the stoner type — is becoming more mainstream, even moving into the luxury and wellness markets. — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "Hemp is now legal. That’s huge for the CBD industry.," 20 Dec. 2018 The hope is that having a base in the first large country to make pot legal for adults (Uruguay legalised cannabis in 2017) will give them an unbeatable lead. — The Economist, "Canada’s cannabis firms plot world domination," 5 July 2018 Brown in his January budget proposal did not count on cannabis delivering that kind of jolt to state coffers. — Adam Ashton, sacbee, "California's marijuana tax collections lag below expectations | The Sacramento Bee," 9 May 2018 Velasquez is one of four people in Illinois whose deaths health officials have blamed on synthetic cannabis. — Robert Mccoppin, chicagotribune.com, "Tests confirm Chicagoan died from poison in synthetic marijuana," 25 Apr. 2018 Patients who use cannabis for chronic pain will be asked to complete a confidential online survey on an iPad at the participating dispensaries. — Sam Wood, Philly.com, "Pa. marijuana dispensaries join Michigan pain study," 24 May 2018 Hillard does not make social or political stands for or against the use of cannabis. — Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former Packers defensive end Cullen Jenkins now turns to CBD oil for pain treatment," 29 Mar. 2018 Only about 350 Australian patients have been approved to use cannabis legally. — Tacey Rychter, New York Times, "Even Australia’s Medical Marijuana Poster Boy Can’t Get the Drug," 11 Feb. 2018 Much of Greek society is traditionally conservative and suspicious of cannabis. — Nektaria Stamouli, WSJ, "Joint Ventures: Greece Cultivates Business Opportunities in Cannabis," 8 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cannabis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Apr 2019

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The first known use of cannabis was in 1783

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More Definitions for cannabis

cannabis

noun

can·na·bis | \ ˈkan-ə-bəs

Medical Definition of cannabis

1a capitalized : a genus of annual herbs (family Moraceae) that have leaves with three to seven elongate leaflets and pistillate flowers in spikes along the leafy erect stems and that include the hemp (C. sativa)

b : hemp sense 1

2 : any of the preparations (as marijuana or hashish) or chemicals (as THC) that are derived from the hemp and are psychoactive