Sea Weed

Sea Weed, also known as Clammabis, is a plant that grows beneath the ocean, which can be then used as a psychoactive depressant drug.

The Plant

Sea Weed is a green, blade-like plant that splits off into seven pronged leaves at the very end. It lacks a traditional plant stem, instead being tied to the ground by a stipe, a stalk that holds up the plant.
Sea Weed sways in the sea as the waves pass it by. It is said often that Sea Weed farms seem to wave at passersby, though in truth this is a false assumption that is just the brain finding patterns. Sea Weed is not sentient.
Within Sea Weed, one could find large amounts of Tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, which gives it the effects that classify it as a drug. This is, however, only one of many compounds that contribute to what Sea Weed is, with the exact number being said to be somewhere in the 500s.

Growth

Sea Weed needs salt water and rich, oceanic soil, alongside a good light source, to grow healthily. In Northern Nereid territory, there are large farms filled with Sea Weed.
It takes around 8 months to grow Sea Weed, though plant mages can speed up the process given the right soil and training to about 4 months.
First, the seeds must germinate which will then allow them to grow into seedlings (small plants) after a week. Once they grow their seven prongs, they are no longer seedlings. This is when they enter the true growth stage. Soon, it will prepare to flower. Only after it flowers can it be harvested.

Effects

The major effect of Sea Weed is said to be a very pleasant, euphoric but relaxing feeling. Other effects vary. One may notice they have an increased appetite, that time seems to pass differently, and that they begin laughing almost uncontrollably. The world will look in some ways stranger: the colors around a user will seem perhaps brighter, sounds may be quieter, and other senses will be altered under Sea Weed's effects.
However, Sea Weed is more than just positive effects. It has some long-lasting effects that go beyond when one actually takes the drug. Some of these long-term effects are still debated, with both the pro and anti Sea Weed factions having heavy biases.

Nereids

Sea Weed is one of the major Nereid crops, grown in their lands as a staple crop alongside kelp and algae. However, Sea Weed is not a common food.

Low Tiders

Instead, in Nereid society, especially the North, it is a recreational drug. There is a large subculture in the Northern Nereid lands centered around the people that toke Sea Weed, called Low Tiders because after taking the drug they are said to be as calm as the low tide.
In Southern Nereid lands, Low Tiders are more frowned upon, as the general view of Sea Weed is that it rots the brain and wastes precious time and braincells.
There is little evidence to support the Southern Nereid claims, but due to this it is either only allowed medicinally or is outright banned in the lands of the Southern Nereid.

Exports

Sea Weed is also the major export of the Northern Nereids, as while the food they grow under the sea is traded, it is more of an exotic specialty than something that land-dwellers actually seek out.

Sea Weed does not make people addicted in the traditional sense, but this is not to say that there is no addiction to Sea Weed. As a matter of fact, many people become addicted to the effect.
It also can affect the memory and the brain. Short-term memory is heavily impaired with long-term use of Sea Weed, as attention spans shorten and brain development in younger users of Sea Weed ceases entirely. If the brain is not fully developed, one should not take Sea Weed.
Sea Weed can also lead to heart attacks and cardiovascular problems. When long-term users stand up, there is said to be a drop in blood pressure
Not only are there adverse long term effects, but some people have more negative experiences with Sea Weed upon taking it. Fear, panic, distrust, and anxiety are potential side effects of taking Sea Weed, while large doses can lead to hallucination, overdosing, and death.

Medicinal

Sea Weed is said to help reduce pain in those who are suffering with chronic pain, anxiety, or post traumatic stress. However, studies show that this is at best a placebo and at worst simply a lie, as there are no signs that Sea Weed has any actual medicinal effects.

Toking, Not Smoking

Unlike many similar drugs, and despite the common phraseology around Sea Weed, it is not smoked. Smoking Sea Weed often reduces its effects, dulling the drug and often turning it from a potent relaxant into a fruity flavored lung ruiner. Smoking it will often allow it to absorb a large amount of the smoke, which will then be inhaled, causing adverse effects.
Instead, one simply needs to hold up the stipe of Sea Weed, placing it in their mouths. Then, they can simply inhale, and the drug within the Sea Weed will enter the system. This process is not called smoking, but toking.

Other Methods

Sea Weed is not inherentily a food, but it can be consumed. If baked into food, it is called an edible. This is a process that is rare in Nereid society, where Sea Weed originates, due to how difficult it is to bake underwater. However, the Dwarves discovered how to bake Sea Weed into dishes, which is where the Hardtack Biscuit came from, a type of cracker laced with Sea Weed.
If Sea Weed is heated to a certain degree, not smoked, it will turn to vapor. This is called vaporization, and it is a much more common way for Nereids to take Sea Weed than edibles. This was made by the Shafaians, who had an idea of how to smoke it in a way.