Transcript MARIJUANA One of the world`s oldest known drugs

Marijuana
One of the Oldest Known Drugs
Part 11
Drugs and Our Society
Ron Bradbury, Presenter
1. Medicinal value
- described by ancients in writings
- Chinese / Greeks / Persians / Romans
- muscle spasms / pain / indigestion
a. Euphoric effects
- 20th century
- “heinous drug”
b. Use restricted
- Marijuana Tax Act (1937)
2. Hemp plant
- “cannabis sativa”
a. delta-9-tetrahydracannabinol (THC)
- grows throughout the world
b. Several factors influence THC levels
- gender / soil / climate / harvesting / etc
c. Between 4% and 24% THC
Chemical Makeup of
Marijuana
3. Contains more than 500 chemicals
- 60 unique to plant
- called ‘Cannabinoids’
a. Carcinogenic compound in smoke
- called benzopyrene
- 50% to 70% more
b. Inhalation of marijuana smoke
- 5 times as much tar
Species of Marijuana
4. Three primary species
a. Cannabis sativa
- higher THC level
b. Cannabis indica
- grown for psychoactive properties
c. Cannabis ruderalis
- low potency of THC
Marijuana Terminology
5. Wording used in the marijuana drug
culture
a. Ganja
- top and flowers of female cannabis
plant
b. Bhang
- lower leaves / stems / and seeds
c. Sinsemilla (without seeds)
- unfertilized female cannabis plant
Other Forms of Marijuana
6. Hashish and hash oil
a. Hashish
- ‘resin’ of the cannabis plant
- THC more potent
- smoked in a pipe
b. Hash oil
- THC content of 60%
- mixed with tobacco and smoked
THC Levels
7. Up to 1990: average THC was 2% to
5%
- much stronger today
- from 8% to 16%
a. Varies from grower to grower
b. Depends on type of fertilizers used /
soil conditions / cultivation / etc.
Points of Origin
8. Marijuana plant: resilient / grow anywhere
a. Areas of production
- high growth rate in Columbia / Mexico
- other Latin American countries
- Caribbean and Asia
b. Grows freely in former Soviet Union
Areas of Production, cont.
- produce 11,000 metric tons on 2.5
million acres
c. 25% used in US is domestic
- important to economy:
California / Kentucky / No.
Carolina / Oregon / Tennessee
- federal / state / private lands
Extent of Use
9. 4th most commonly used drug worldwide
- 7% of Americans used in past 30 days
- 40.4% in lifetime (sporadic)
a. India / Jamaica / Greece / Egypt
- daily / greater quantities
b. Male high school athletes
- higher rate (non-athletes)
- female athletes less (non-athletes)
Extent, cont
c. Correlation:
- lower grades
- higher truancy
- less religious commitment
d. Cost varies greatly:
- Boston to Honolulu
- $150.00 to $300.00 per ounce
Pharmacology of Marijuana
10. Smoked or ingested
- commonly smoked in US
- ingested: other countries
a. Smoked
- takes effect more quickly
- THC: 3 times more potent
- effects: 2 to 4 hours
Pharmacology, cont
b. Ingested
- effects last longer (3 – 12 hours)
c. Rolled into cigarettes
- reefer / joint / stick / rock / etc.
c. Made into a “blunt”
d. Smoked in pipes / bongs
- bongs: filtered through water
Pharmacology, cont.
11. Absorption
- reaches brain in seconds
- psychological / physical effects
a. Euphoric
- sensory effects
- last several hours
- intensive: felt in 30 minutes (peak)
Pharmacology, cont.
b. Smoked
- half THC absorbed in lungs
- ingested: much less
12. Tolerance
- no physical tolerance develops (animal
studies)
- disputed as to humans
Tolerance, cont.
- likely among daily users
b. No evidence of reverse tolerance
- get high with less
- usually the setting / familiarity
13. Physical dependence
- does not occur
Physical Dependence, cont.
- young people it may (sensitive)
a. Withdrawal symptoms (vary)
- nervous / tension / restlessness /
appetite change
- sleep disturbance (70 mos. daily use)
b. Immediate effect: reduce aggression
Psychological Dependence
1. Believe it can result in dependence
- most occasional
- do not become compulsive
2. Drug itself = not lead to increased use
a. Perceived need is responsible
- compulsive use / dependence
- need is psychosocial
Decriminalization and Legalization
1. 1972: Presidential Commission on
Marijuana and Drug Abuse
- recommended decriminalization
a. 1973 to 1978: 11 states decriminalized
- Oregon was first
- still illegal to possess (infraction)
b. Illegal in every state except Alaska
- 4 ounces (grown / possessed)
Decriminalization / Legalization, cont.
c. 1998: Oregon referendum re-criminalize
d. Recent reform initiatives:
- Alaska Hemp: yes = 41% / no = 59%
- California Prop. 36: drug treatment
yes = 61% / no = 39%
Reform Initiatives, cont.
e. Mendocino County Measure G
- legal cultivation / personal possession
- yes = 58% / no = 42%
f. Colorado Amendment 20
- medical use: yes = 54% / no = 46%
g. Massachusetts Question 8
- drug treatment: yes = 48% / no = 52%
Reform Initiatives, cont.
h. Nevada Question 9
- medical use / creation of legal supply
- yes = 65% / no = 35%
i. Oregon Measure 3
- prohibition of asset forfeiture without
conviction
- yes = 67% / no = 33%
- Utah: yes = 69% / no = 31%
Behavioral Effects
1. A new user has to learn how
a. First step:
- deeply inhaling the smoke
- hold in lungs (20 to 40 seconds)
b. Second step:
- learn to identify effects
c. Third step:
Behavioral Effects, cont.
- learning to control effects
d. Final step:
- labeling effects as “pleasant”
e. Because of this learning process:
- first time user
- does not achieve euphoric
“stoned” or “high” of repeat user
Behavioral Effects, cont.
2. Effects by experienced user
- well established
- cannabis high has several stages
a. Initial effects:
- often somewhat stimulating
- elicit mild tension / anxiety
b. Replaced by feeling of well-being
Behavioral Effects, cont.
c. Later effects:
- feel introspective / tranquil
- rapid mood changes
- periods of hilarity
- followed by contemplative silence
3. One of the most consistent effects:
- short term memory
- tasks such as learning is difficult
Behavioral Effects, cont.
- remembering new information
- remembering / following a sequence
of directions
3. Everyday use while intoxicated:
- unable to easily recall information told
seconds or minutes before
a. One researcher (A. Wikler) said:
Behavioral Effects, cont.
“The drunkard staggers only when
he walks . . . the pothead forgets
only when he talks.”
b. No comprehension of time
- more time passed than actual
- most reported psychological
effect
Behavioral Effects, cont.
c. Loss of concentration demonstrated
- in interpersonal communications
4. Half-Life of THC
- rapidly absorbed into bloodstream
- distributed first to the brain
- then rest of body
Behavioral Effects, cont.
a. Within 30 minutes
- most already gone from brain
b. THC remaining in blood
- half-life of 19 hours
c. Metabolites formed in liver
- half-life of 50 hours
Behavioral Effects, cont.
d. After one week:
- 15% to 20%
- THC and its metabolites
- might still remain in the body