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

In June Olga Sánchez Cordero, AMLO’s prospective interior minister, called for the decriminalisation of cannabis. — The Economist, "Will AMLO deliver?," 5 July 2018 Vehicles would not be impounded in cases in which drivers are pulled over and found to have small amounts of cannabis. — Mike Danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin council to discuss reducing vehicle impound fees for some offenses," 27 June 2018 Back in 1996, Amoeba sided with pot activist Debby Goldsmith in support of Prop 215, which resulted in the legalization of medicinal cannabis in the state of California. — Graham Hacia, Billboard, "Records & Reefer: Amoeba Music's Flagship Store in Berkeley Opens Hi-Fidelity Pot Shop to Boost Business," 11 June 2018 Rodriguez, investigators say, soaked legal papers in a liquid form of cannabis that inmates could swallow to get high. — Jay Weaver, miamiherald, "Inmates liked being served these legal papers. They were soaked with synthetic pot.," 31 May 2018 Stutz disagreed, saying the amount of cannabis the small-scale cultivators will produce together will only be equal to the amount 1.5 large-scale farms can produce. — Staff, cleveland.com, "Comment here on cleveland.com court and crime stories for Saturday, May 12, 2018," 12 May 2018 With cannabis in tow, the character goes on a road trip with his daughter (Vera Farmiga) and her son (Lewis MacDougall). — Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, "Summer 2018 Movie Release Schedule," 4 May 2018 That means police were arresting 55 adults every day, simply for the act of having cannabis in the Keystone State. — Chris Goldstein, Philly.com, "Millennials bear the brunt of Pa. marijuana arrests," 16 Feb. 2018 Pro tip: Don’t drive with cannabis in the San Diego region; it’s ground zero for U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints. — Ed Murrieta, San Francisco Chronicle, "The 5 best places in California for marijuana tourism," 25 Jan. 2018

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

14 Oct 2018

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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