also: おおあさ
noun
Refers to the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) and its fiber, historically used for textiles and rope.
大麻は古くから繊維として利用されてきた。
Hemp has been used as a fiber since ancient times.
Commonly refers to the psychoactive drug; 大麻取締法 (Cannabis Control Act) is a well-known legal term.
日本では大麻の所持は法律で禁止されている。
Possession of cannabis is prohibited by law in Japan.
noun
Shinto paper offerings
Only with reading たいま
Read as たいま; refers to paper or cloth strips offered at Shinto shrines, often seen on sacred ropes (しめなわ).
神社のしめ縄に大麻が下げられている。
Paper offerings are hung on the sacred rope at the shrine.
From Chinese 大麻 (dàmá), meaning 'hemp' or 'cannabis'. The reading たいま is the on'yomi, while おおあさ is a native Japanese reading. The Shinto offering sense is a specialized use of the same characters.