Transcript THC

 Genus of flowering plants (Cannabaceae) that
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include 3 species
Cannabis sativa, C. indica and C. ruderalis
Indigenous to Central Asia and South Asia
Cannabis has long been used for
Hemp
Food
Medicinal purposes
Psychoactive drug
 Cannabis plants produce a unique family of terpeno-
phenolic compounds called cannabinoids
 60 cannabinoids have been isolated from the hemp
plant and there are naturally occurring cannabinoids
in most species called endocannabinoids, in a similar
fashion as endorphins (opiates) have been found.
 Cannabidiol (CBD) and/or Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC)
 ratio of THC to CBD
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 There are two main receptors for cannabinoids in
humans
 CB1(in brain) if stimulated produces
 Euphoria
 Impaired short term memory and sense of time
 CB2 (in spleen, peripheral sites) if stimulated produces
 Immunosuppressant activity
 Not psychoactive
 MARIJUANA
 HASHISH
 HASH OIL
 THC
 Marijuana
 Not a single drug but a
complex mixture of
over 400 chemicals
 Dried flowering tops
and leaves of the plant
 THC concentration
0.5% - 5% in the
past, now up to 20 –
25%
 It can be baked into
cookies or cakes.
Dried cannabis buds
Hashish, hash
 Dried, sticky resin of
Cannabis plant.
 Sold in solid pieces,
ranging in colour from
light brown to black; ; in
texture from dry and
hard to soft and crumbly.
 Usually crumbled and
smoked in pipe or handrolled cigarette with
tobacco or marijuana.
 THC concentration, 2 - 8%
or higher
 Hash Oil oil, honey oil
 Thick, greenish-black, reddish-brown
or yellow oil.
 obtained by extracting hashish with
an organic solvent.
 Usually wiped onto a cigarette or
rubbed into tobacco and smoked.
 THC concentration 15 - 50%
 delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), Δ1-THC
 Noncrystalline, waxy liquid at room temperature
 11-hydroxy THC
 11-Nor-9-carboxy THC
 (-) Trans-isomer (Marinol) is 6 to 100 times more potent
than (+) trans-isomer(Dronabinol)
 Water insoluble
 Reduces the nausea and loss of appetite associated
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with chemotherapy
Can reduce pain signaling
Can be used to treat the discomfort of AIDS
Can reduce the pressure increases in the eye
associated with glaucoma
multiple sclerosis, epilepsy
 How is it used?
 Leaves and flowering tips are dried
 Smoked
 Consumed as tea
 Mixed into food
 Resin from flowering heads
 Smoked
 Mixed with tobacco
 Alcohol extract (cannabis oil) is mixed with tobacco and
smoked
 Effects of smoking are felt within a few minutes and
last two to four hours. Effects from ingestion (e.g.,
eaten in baked or cooked foods) appear more gradually
and last longer, and the person may feel dull and
sluggish for some time afterwards.
 Cerebellum
 Body movement coordination
 Hippocampus
 Learning and memory
 Cerebral cortex, especially  Higher cognitive functions
cingulate,
frontal, and parietal regions
 Nucleus accumbens
 Reward
 Basal ganglia
 Movement control
 Calm, relaxed, talkative and sometimes drowsy.
 Concentration and short-term memory are markedly
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impaired.
Sensory perception seems enhanced, colours are brighter,
sounds are more distinct.
Sense of time and space is distorted.
Appetite increases, especially for sweets.
impaired coordination and balance, rapid heartbeat, red
eyes, dry mouth and throat.
Some experience hallucinations with larger doses and
symptoms worsen in persons with psychiatric disorders,
particularly schizophrenia.
 decreased motivation and interest, as well as
difficulties with memory and concentration.
 The respiratory system is damaged by smoking
 There is some evidence that tolerance develops in
regular high-dose users.
 Psychological and physical dependence on cannabis
can occur in people who use heavily or regularly.
 Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, irritability,
sleeping problems, sweating and loss of appetite.