Science Of Cannabis Chapter 1 Outline

To see how this works we visualize the cannabinoid as a three dimensional molecule, where one part of the molecule is configured to fit the nerve or immune cell receptor site just like a key in a lock. There are at least two

Synthetic cannabinoids were created to bind the same receptors as the active compound in marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 to obtain the psychotropic effects such as euphoria. CB1 receptors are located within the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, in addition to peripheral organs such as the lungs, liver, and kidney. CB2 receptors are noted to be located on immune and hematopoietic cells, therefore desired and toxic

After several decades of research many important discoveries have been made about cannabis. Not only has the active ingredient been found, but also how it works in the brain. They found this using a new system called the endocannabinoid system which is a unique communications system in the brain and body which affects many important functions, including how someone feels, moves, and reacts.

It is also important reiterate that body also produces small amounts of cannabinoids that helps mediate the body functions and controlling communication between cells. Hemp oil is a natural botanical extract derived from the help plant. The low THC hemp is grown in many countries around the

The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, which is also the most responsible for its intoxicating effects, is known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is one of the cannabinoids found in marijuana, and there are over sixty of them. It is the cannabinoid that produces the high, and although there are other cannabinoids present, the effect is different with the absence of THC. They interact with THC to affect its impact in a variety of ways: enhancing or attenuating it, speeding up or slowing down its onset, and influencing how long the effect lasts (Caulkin 7).

When a receptor receives information, it causes changes in the nerve cell. The chemical in marijuana that has a big impact on the brain is called THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). It is the main active chemical in marijuana. Scientists recently discovered that some areas in the brain have a lot of THC receptors, while other have very few or none. These clues are helping researchers figure out exactly how THC works in the brain.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), also known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the main psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant. Cannabis isn’t just a single drug molecule, like alcohol or cocaine, but a mix of over 420 different chemical components. 61 of the called cannabinoids are unique to marijuana. THC is the chemical that triggers cannabis’ main drug action and effects in the body and brain. THC is like a feel-good chemical bomb that explodes on contact, and then breaks up into at least 80 different by products (or metabolites) before it’s eliminated from the body. The process starts as soon as THC enters the blood stream, and begins zeroing in on cannabinoid receptors in the brain and central nervous system Once it checks into the brain, THC takes its own time in checking out. Unlike many other drugs, which are excreted from the body within hours, THC metabolites stick around--stored

Studies have determined that two of the major cannabinoids found in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)

Many regions of the brain contain cannabinoid receptors, of which anandamide molecules, concerned with regulating mood, appetite and emotions, naturally bind to. Cannabis contains an active ingredient known as ‘delta-9-tetrahydrocannabonic’ (THC), and when smoked or eaten, the THC imitates the activity of anandamide by binding to cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells, and therefore influences

In a typical procedure like the one mentioned above the rats are trained in an apparatus with two levers, pressing one lever produces food on day when the rat has ben injected with THC prior to the training session and pressing the other lever would produce food when the rat has been injected with the placebo. When the rats have learned to detect THC, many tests can be done using injections of new substances, a different dose of THC or THC in combination with another drug. The choice of lever by the rat is an indication of the test substance intercoceptive effects similar to THC. Using this model, it was found that drugs that do not act at the CB1 receptor do not produce effects similar to THC effects. THC-like interoceptive effects are only produced with a partial or full CB1 agonist, it is this possible that new drugs with THC like effects can possibly lead to abuse.

The cannabinoid receptors are present throughout the body. Researchers have identified two cannabinoid receptors the cannabinoid receptor type 1 or the CB1 receptors and the cannabinoid receptor type 2 or CB2 receptors. The CB1 receptors are mainly found in the brain and the nervous system. Furthermore, CB1 is the main receptor for the photocannabinoid THC and its twin, anandamide which is one of the body’s naturally occurring cannabinoid which THC mimics or mirrors. On the other hand, CB2 receptors are found mainly in the immune system and its associated structures (Kossen, n.d.).

Cannabinoids interact with two types of receptors in our bodies; CB1 receptors which are found mainly on cells in the brain and spinal cord, and CB2 which are found in various immune cells ("What Is Medical Marijuana?").

In earlier attempts of finding the cannabinoid receptor, using THC as the ligand proved difficult because of its lipid solubility which cause non-specific, high affinity binding. In Herkenham et al. (1990), they localize cannabinoid receptors (CB1) throughout the brain by using synthesized, radiolabeled CP 55,940, structurally similar to THC, but less hydrophobic and more potent as a cannabinoid receptor ligand. They find high density binding in the cerebellum and basal ganglia (which regulates time perception and coordinated movement), the cerebral cortex (perception and reasoning) and the hippocampus, which is associated with memory. This correlates with marijuana's distortion of these cognitive functions, including memory. The hippocampus, located in the inferior medial temporal lobe, has been shown to be involved with memory through studies with brain-damaged patients such as HM, who, in the extreme case, resulted in having anterograde amnesia (inability to form new long-term memories) due to the removal of the bilateral hippocampus (Gazzaniga et

Marijuana mysteries: 5 things we still don’t know about cannabis and how it could affect our bodies

The principal psychoactive constituent in marijuana, THC, produces the sensation of being stoned by binding to receptors in the brain. One of these receptors is known