Kontraband Know It All

Where did marijuana come from? Is it true that we could have smoked joints by the pack-load today instead of rubbishy cigarettes?
Marijuana (Cannabis) comes from Asia, the plant itself is indigenous to this continent. There could have been a small opportunity for modern smokers to be enjoying a pack of joints instead of cigarettes if there hadn't been a mix up at the Second International Opiates Conference in 1924. Apparently a group of Egyptian delegates, who were concerned about the effect of hemp on their cotton exports, managed to convince the conference leaders that cannabis was dangerous. The conference was created to fight the growing use of opiates in the western world; originally cannabis had not been included in their list of banned substances. Britain abstained from the vote but was still obliged to ban cannabis and did so with the Dangerous Drugs Act in 1928.
Politicians have often admitted to using to trying marijuana, including Boris Johnson, Alistair Darling, Harriet Harman, Ruth Kelly, Mo Mowlam, Norman Lamont and Jacqui Smith. Bill Clinton famously said he tried marijuana but "did not inhale". He did lie about his affair with Monica Lewinsky though so perhaps all that "non-inhalation" affected his memory.

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How many different strains of pot are there? Give us the top 5 ever.
There are 3 main strains of cannabis: indica, ruderalis and sativa. There are believed to be over 100 types of marijuana. The top 5 are Skunk, Northern Lights, White Widow, Super Lemon Haze and G-13. All of these types have been winners of the Cannabis Cup which is awarded during a cannabis festival in Amsterdam each year (Liberty Haze was the 2011 winner).
The active ingredient of cannabis is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) which in strong types of cannabis such as White Widow can reach levels of 20%. The strongest ever grown in the UK was by a man arrested in Derbyshire in 2006, his plants had THC levels of 29%. Police became suspicious after seeing a Pringles delivery lorry parked outside his house 24 hours a day.

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Which countries have legalised marijuana?
Not every country in the world has criminalised marijuana, although previous liberal hotspots such as the Netherlands are starting to operate stricter regulations. Countries which have legalised marijuana (personal use possession only) are Argentina, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru and Uruguay. However, in nearly all countries, sale, transportation and cultivation are illegal. There are some other countries with a more relaxed legal status for marijuana than the UK, where it is still classed as illegal but personal possession would usually just lead to a fine, such as in Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Poland, Portugal and Spain. In Japan marijuana is highly illegal; possession alone is punishable with up to 5 years in prison and 10 years for selling it.
Nicknames for the drug include pot, weed, herb, ganja, dope, wacky baccy, grass, Mary Jane and Aunt Mary, although saying smoking, rolling or "doing" Aunt Mary might not be appropriate if your uncle's wife is called Mary and he hears you saying it.

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Name the best ever stoner sequences in the movies.
Unsurprisingly marijuana has featured frequently in the movies, due to its cultural power and simple way of informing the viewer that this character is a bit of a rebel. The best ever stoner sequences in the movies (apart from every Cheech & Chong film) are:
Brad Pitt in True Romance. So stoned he barely registers armed thugs crashing into his house.
The leaders of the world in Ali G Indahouse. Ali finds a way of preventing war, by slipping world leaders marijuana in their tea.
Pineapple Express. American soldiers stop respecting their superior officers after illicit marijuana experiments.
Easy Rider. Jack Nicholson shows the world a taste of his crazy drug-addled personality. This film is not just about road trips.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Watching an advert, the boys realise marijuana kills, but they still have the munchies.
An honourable mention goes to Withnail and I and their Camberwell Carrot.