Cannabis sativa:effects and med. uses

[syk613]

This information is taken from:

 

Pharmacology: Rang H.P. Dale M.M. Ritter J.M. 3rd Edition (1st printed in 1995 and reprinted '98) Publshed by Churchill Livingston. pages 661-664

 

And intended to help guide ppl who use mj for med use mostly but there will be info for the recreational user and it is not opinion it is a summary of a well respected and easily accessible book so if there is disbelief or general enquires I would be happy to provide more info or there is always the option of investigating the references:

 

INTRO.

 

Cannabis sativa (CS) grows freely in temperate and tropical climates and contains the active substance 1-tetrahydrocannabinol

(or 9-THC depending on ring system numbering.)

THC has been used for 100's of years for med and intoxicant purposes. It was brought to US in the 19th Century (US Aurthors sorry!) outlawed in the 1930's and in the '60s use increased dramatically, recent figures show 15% of adults in US and West Europe have tried it and 50% of young adults teenagers have tried it.

 

 

CHEMICAL ASPECTS:

 

CS exttracts contain many componds called cannabinoids (most insoluble in water) The most active 1-THC then 6-THC (less potent) and cannabinol (prod from 1-THC spontaneously) (1-THC also known as 9-THC. Numbering depends on the system used to define the carbon ring.)

1-THC is the most important component biologically and 1-10% of mj and hash is 1-THC by weight.

Varios radioimmunoassays have been developed in an attempt to differentiate 1-THC from other cannibinoids found in crude THC extracts(and their metabolites formed in the boby) but these have all been unsuccessful. So the experiment to find the amount of 1-THC in biological fluids is still a problem.

 

PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS:

 

1-THC acts mainly on the central nervous system (CNS-brain and spinal cord) and it produces a mixture of psychotomimetic (LSD like) and depressant effects, together with various CNS mediated peripheral autonomic effects ie the sympathetic and parasympathetic nevous system, diverse range of effects on different parts of the body..

 

Main subjective effects in ppl:

 

-Relaxation, wellbeing (not unlike ethanol)

-feeling of sharpened sensory awareness (sound sights more intense and fantastic) the efects are similar but (usually) less potent than the effects of psychotomimetic drugs like LSD.

-Subjects report time passes slowly BUT the alarming sensation and paranoid delusions associated with LSD like drugs are seldom associated with CS.

-CS increases appetite (seen in experimental animals and humans)

 

Objective tests of psychomotor performance show:

 

-general impairment:

-eg simple lerning and memory tasks are not perfomed as well when on THC

-eg complex lests of motor co-ordination (eg. driving) is impaired on THC

-The heightened subjective feelings of confidence and creativity are not reflected in performance

-aggresive and sexual behaviour is not enhanced by CS

-pain killing (analgesia) effects shown in experimental animals .

--anti -emetic effect (reduces nausea)

-Catelepsy (a fixed immobile posture-occurs in rats and mice) shown after THC

 

Peripheral efects of THC ( ie receptors not in the CNS)

 

-increase in heart rate (prevented with drugs blocking sympathetic transmissions)

-Vasodilation (especially scleral and conjuntival vessels:bloodshot appearance)(Vasodilation: blood vessels dilate or become wider in their diameter)

-reduction of intraocular pressure

(part of the eye-important for ppl with glaucoma)

-bronchodilatation (the throat and airways to the lungs)

 

I will post more info from this reference and others at a later date I hope some of this info dispels some myths and provides some realistic info on the dangers and medical uses associated with MJ, BUT it is in no way meant to be a definitive guide, there will however be references to check all the information I post and If it is wrong or does not quite make sense I would be happy to hear any opinions. . thanxs Peace

[widowdoc]

They reently conducted tests in England where people were given a driving test eg salim etc when they were sober then gave em a joint and retested. They done better when stoned. This was on TV. So who's right. I reckon I'm a better driver on Satavia, whoever some of the indica's like couchlock etc I reckon I'd crash. Who's right?

[pipeman]

your co-ordination and reaction time are reduced under the influence of MJ. The only reason driving stoned can be safe is that you drive slower and more cautiosly IMO.

[widowdoc]

Pipeman, I reckon I'm more aware, take more care etc when I'm stoned on satavia. It's cerebral not body stone. I would not atempt to drive on my couchlock, but I'll cruise anywhere on my bike on widow.

Done a run from Brisie to the Gp in 01. First thing in the morning we had coffee and a few billies of w/w. Cruise all day. Nighttime to ease the aches and pains - Couchlock. Great trip.

[pipeman]

I drive stoned all the time, but only a light stone, I don't drive on anything heavy. one night I was driving and everything around me went black and all I could see was the road in front of me and the white lines seemed to glow. I slowed down and really tried to focus. I kept within the lines. It was like I was driving my car on a road heading out into space, everying around was black. It came good in a few seconds. I reckon I was close to blacking out.

[Ozzy420]

I will not drive stoned againe as when i was younger me and a mate got riped on some nice budda (well that was what it was ment to be) i was driveing first but was to riped so he took over (bad idear) as he was a rev head at the best of times, but when he was riped he was even worse any way were comeing home and the road was wet frow dew comeing around a slite bend in the road he lost it and we ended up in the loung room of some poor blokes house (thank god it was 3 am and thay were in bed al; we could of killed some 1) so that has put mr off driveing stoned for all times,

[lokm8]

Playing Online games.

I used to love playing Quake Online (Multiplayer). BEST GAME EVER.

I would get totally baked and almost feel like im in the game itself...

Had a 19inch monitor but I wish I tried them VR head-sets which would be awesome cruising in a 3D world.

Anyway, I would play better overall ( more accurate shooting )but my reaction time would drop and I would have to compensate that by other tactics, my co-ordination was heaps better stoned as I pulled off some mad moves.

 

I don't mind driving stoned either, actually drive slower, and am more cautious.

[syk613]

Thanks to all who replied with personal opinions/experiences. As for who would be right in regards to driving stoned I have not seen the study conditions but this info (the book referenced above) would be regarded as a reliable but short summary of MJ and it's effects on ppl, med uses etc. as established in scientific journals etc.

 

Receptors and Endogenous Ligands

 

Receptor:A regulatory protein (usually) that needs to bind to a drug molecule to elicit an effect,

Most of this section will deal with the molecular biology of 1-THC and its interaction with receptors and the downstream molecular effects as well as the distribution of these receptors and medical consequences of these receptors.

 

-Cannabinoids were 1st thought to be non-specific lipophilic agents (like general anaesthetic)

 

-Identification of receptors in the brain and periphery suggest they act on a specific signalling system and these receptors have neen cloned (and shown to belong to G-Protein coupled class of receptor.)

 

-The receptors have been shown to inhibit: adenylate cyclase (enzyme)and calcium ion channel function (directly). These effects on cells are like those of opioids.

 

-The distribution of these receptors in the brain conforms roughly to their effect. They are in the:

-Hippocampus (memory impairment)

-Cerebellum and substantia nigra (motor disturbance)

-mesolimbic dopamine pathways (reward)

-cortex

 

-The peripheral receptors show some limited amino acid (proteins are a string of AA mostly) homolgy (similarity) with the receptors from the CNS and they are in the lymphoid system, mainly. This was a surprise but it may account for the inhibition of the immune system by mj reported by some ppl.

 

-The discovery of a receptor led to the discovery of the endogenous ligand for the receptors. Anandamide: amide derivative of arachidonic acid (produces short lasting mj like effects-iv into brain) The role, synthesis and delivery is currently attracting a lot of attention.

 

-The peripheral receptors may show a different pharmacological specificity from CNS ones but very little is known

 

-Mj's effect on pain, intraocular pressure, vomit reflex, bronchial smooth muscle may all have therapeutic effects and THC derivatives (nabilone) have been developed for med use.

 

 

Phew that was hard work I included most if not all the info almost word for word to ensure as little as possible was lost in my translation, Once again thanks to all that replied earlier, personal opinions/experiences/links/general info and references would always be appreciated, However the info I have provided has not been gathered from one or two ppl it has been gathered from all the previous research on mj (and if you doubt the amount just do a search of the scientic journals,) then compiled by the authors, (who know how to determine if the study and its results are valid,) so the results here are generalisms and describe what occurs in the majority of the population (as drugs affect different ppl differently) , so therefore may be more informative for ppl trying for the 1st time. Perhaps the increase in your driving/riding skils are really a mj induced increase in your confidence levels. But then I've been riding bikes etc for years and have had accidents when tired, dodgy road suface and other ppl but I don't think being stoned contributed to them as my only accident stoned was someone elses fault. And any questions or mistakes please point them out and I will correct, I did go through it and I will review and add info as this is a very short summary, (it does not even identify the different receptor classes CB1 CB2,) so I will look for a more up to date reference to complete and review what I have posted Thanks again for the replies and to any1 thinking about mj use I hope this dispels some myths and may provide a starting point for further research into possible med uses. .

[syk613]

Part 3

 

Tolerance and Dependance:

 

-Tolerance to mj occurs to a minor degree

-Physical dependence: weak withdrawal symptoms

-Similar symptoms to opiate and ethanol withdrawal: Nausea, agitation, irritability, confusion, tachycardia, sweating, and so on., BUT these are mild symptoms and don’t usually result in a compulsive urge to take the drug.

-Psychological dependence does not seem to occur with mj and overall it is not classed as a drug of addiction.

 

 

Pharmacokinetic (PK) Aspects: PK refers to how the body deals with a particular drug eg metabolism and excretion (commonly called clearance of the drug) but it also deals with absorption into the blood and how it distributes itself around the body etc

 

-mj taken by smoking or IV takes about 1 hr to develop fully

-Lasts for 2-3 hours before inactive metabolites are formed.

-1-THC is partly conjugated, and undergoes hepatic recirculation.

 

(We recycle some of the metabolised drug back to an active form and reabsorb it back into the body for reuse, it effectively produes a reservoir of recircul. drug that prolongs its action (it can be 20% of the total amount of drug in the body-not mj specific number)

[white_cluster]

Subjects report time passes slowly BUT the alarming sensation and paranoid delusions associated with LSD like drugs are seldom associated with CS.

 

what?? once I smoked a sativa that made me convinced I was gonna have a heart attack, sativas sometimes make me feel guilty for no reason, I've been paranoid of people in the roof, shitting myself, having cancer, snakes in bed, thats what some sativas do to me.

This guy musta smoked some shitty sativas. Or maybe I'm mad and smoke too much. But I'm not, I'm a real relaxed guy, but sometimes smoking sativas makes me wanna rip all my plants out.

I'd like to find these social sativas everyone talks about, all the sativas I smoke make me either feel uncomfortable in crowds or babble stupid shit non-stop and annoy everyone, I prefer nice indicas as a social drug, make you feel warm and cosy sitting back in couches giggling, I think sativas are better for like sitting in the bush and smoking a joint by yourself and thinking or mowing the lawn, gotta smoke sativa before mowing the lawn.

 

anyways I dunno what Im getting at here.