Weed, Pot, Reefer, Cannabis

Anybody want to get a pizza?

Biology/Psychology 3506

Introduction• Cannabis sativia

– May also be other species (C. Indica)– One type is actually very low in THC and quite useful

for cloth, rope, paper, etc.

• Speaking of THC, it is the active ingredient in pot– Delta-9-Tetrahdrocannabinol– Also Delta-8- Tetrahdrocannabinol– Delta 9 is the biggie though

Administration• You can:

– Eat it• Cookies, brownies

– Smoke it• Joints, bongs, onehits• Hash and hah oil/weed oil

– Drink it• Tea

‘Roll Your Own’• Recently some synthetics have been developed• Don’t work as well as taking a hit off a Doobie

– synhexyl– nabilone

• Used in chemo treatment

– dronabinol• (Marinol)

A little History• Initially spread by the Scythians• Where do you think the word Assassin

comes from?• Chinese liked it, then they got the

munchies and ordered Chinese food…– 6000 years ago

• Got to India– Ganja and bhang

More History• In Europe and North America it was used for

rope, cloth etc, intoxicating effects were not noticed for years.– George Washington grew Hemp!

• Gauthier’s ‘Le Club de Hachichins’• Big as a cash crop in the States

– (Still is…)

• 1937 Marijuana Tax Act• 1970 Became Illegal in the US, Canada.

Recent History• Medical Marijuana laws in US and Canada

• Feds actually growing weed in Flin Flon, MB

• Netherlands

• Pot was almost legal in Canada in 2002!

• Washington and Colorado

Absorption, Distribution, Etc…..

• VERY lipid soluble• Very slowly absorbed when administered

orally– 3x the dose than for smoked pot– Much longer lasting high

• Smoking works way better– 50% of THC goes to lungs– Then to your brain

Absorption etc…• Many of the compounds created during

burning are also psychoactive• Metabolized in liver mostly• Other places too

– Lungs if smoked– Intestines if eaten

• Metabolites are active– Cannabidiol blocks metabolism of THC

Neuropharmacology• Radioactive Levonantradol

– (syntehtic cannabinoid)

• Group in the next lab found a gene that coded for a receptor site

• The maps matched!– Science is cool

So, where are the receptors for THC?

• Cortex• Hippocampus• Cerebellum• Basal ganglia• Spinal cord• Brainstem• Hypothalamus• Spleen!

Effects• Bloodshot eyes

• Droopy eyes

• The drys

• The munchies

• Increased heart rate

• Reduction of pressure of fluid in eye!

Capitalism

More effects• Stops nausea

• Anticonvulsant

• Antibiotic

• Sleep effects

• Everything is way funny

• Mood changes

Even more effects• Analgesic

• Memory – Recall not recognition– STM

• HP effect?

• Attentional effects

Hey man, this weed has lots of effects….

• DON’T DRIVE A CAR

• Biphasic effects on SMA

• Taming effect

• Timing effects– Crystal (2003)

• Reverse Tolerance?

• Mild Withdrawal

You wanna get high?• Other species don’t do it

• Titration

• Usually smoked in groups

• Most users are casual users

• ritualistic

Cannabidiol Effects

• Anti psychotic effects• Decreases limbic system activity• Fewer memory effects• It is an antagonist to the cannabanoid

receptor• Much of this may be due to it being a 5Ht

agonist and stabilizing effect on NMDA pathways

Bad stuff• Violence?

• Makes crazy people go nuts

• Freak outs

• Gateway drug?

• Reproductive effects?

• Cancer, lung disease?– Probably, but how much is smoked?