Marijuana and Hashish Cannabis plant Cannabis indica is grown for its resins which have psychoactive effects. Cannabis sativa is grown worldwide, is considered a weed, but its fibers are used to make hemp rope. Preparations from cannabis THC is the primary psychoactive agent found in the resin. Hashish is pure resin in its purest form. It may range up to 14% THC. Ganja is second most potent. Sinsemilla is high grade marijuana, averaging 4-5% THC. Bhang is the weakest form found in India. So marijuana can vary widely in potency from 1% THC to 8+% in sinsemilla. Usual range of potency is 2-5%. Marijuana is considered America’s number one cash crop! It earns $30 billion per year. History goes back to 2737 B.C. in China. It was used medicinally but also for the euphoric effects. Hashish use was described in Europe in 1844 in The Count of Monte Cristo. There is a reference to the myth of users belonging to a cult that committed murder for political reasons. The cult was called “hashishiyya” – we got the word “assassin” from that reference. The French Romantic writers dabbled with the drug to enhance creativity. Baudelaire described 3 stages of intoxication: 1) hilarity and bizarre perceptions, 2) senses heightened, interacting in a synesthesia, warped time sense and 3) bliss, calm, placid peace, detachment from problems, even from self. Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was imposed on marijuana, like on heroin, as a means to control access without banning the drug outright. This was a response to the myth of pot affecting youth in aggressive & criminal ways. Also it was perceived as a drug of street people and minorities who surely needed controlling to preserve a safe society for law-abiding members. This served to increase the price of marijuana 6-9X. In the 1960s there was a revival of experimentation by youth, along with rejection of authority in many forms. It peaked in popularity around 1980. Pharmacology- there are over 400 chemicals in marijuana. 61 are unique to potcannabinoids. THC is the most active chemical. THC is rapidly absorbed into the blood, going first to the brain, then the body, leaving the brain within 30 minutes. Complete elimination may take 2-3 weeks however. It is fat soluble, so it is stored in fatty tissues and released slowly. So it can be monitored in urine or blood tests. We also don’t know the long-term effects of THC in the brain. Anandamide is a substance in the body that has marijuana-like effects. Physiological effects include increase in pulse rate, red eyes, dry mouth. Heavy smoking can impair lung function. There are also changes in heart and circulation, similar to stress reactions. If the user already has cardiac problems, pot will put him/her at risk. Behavioral effects have to do with learning how to smoke pot. It requires the user to deeply inhale and hold the smoke in the lungs for 20-40 sec. Also the user has to learn to recognize the effects and label them as pleasurable. So first time users don’t usually
achieve a high. The high develops over use due to classical conditioning. Effects include sense perceptions, imagery, space and time distortions, changes in cognitive processing, such as memory, emotion, sense of identity and greater understanding. Tolerance does develop, but because of the learning and conditioning effects, experienced smokers actually show greater effects of the drug than first time users. Long-term effects include negative effects on memory and ability to learn new information, inability to follow sequence of directions, poor recall even minutes after exposure to material. Also there is impairment in time sense and ability to engage in tracking behavior- following a pointer on a spot that rotates. This requires sustained attention which is decreased by pot. Ability to communicate is drastically impaired as the user loses ability to focus on the other person’s line of thought and respond effectively. Medical uses are hard to determine since the quality of the drug is so variable. Most doctors feel there are pharmacological drugs that are more dependable in effects than pot. There are also negative side effects that most prescriptions don’t have. It is effective in reducing fluid pressure in the eye for glaucoma patients. It also is effective in reducing nausea due to chemotherapy for cancer. It seems to have an anticonvulsant effect for patients with spasticity. The drug containing THC which is licensed is called dronabinol (Marinol). It increases appetite in cancer and AIDS patients. Several states have passed laws legalizing use for medical purposes, although buying it is still illegal. Some medical marijuana clubs have been set up for patients with prescriptions and most law enforcement agencies have allowed them to function without harassment. Dependence potential Tolerance does build up in the user, but is reversed by the conditioning effects of repeated use. Physical dependence is shown when a user has been given high doses of THC every hour hours for 10-20 days. After discontinuation there is irritability, restlessness, nausea, vomiting. Sleep disturbances and loss of appetite are also seen. But these symptoms aren’t usually seen outside the lab, since the drug leaves the body slowly and most users don’t use such intense doses. Psychological dependence is seen in how many users develop patterns of daily use. Pot use is more like alcohol use than regular cigarette smoking patterns. Toxicity potential Acute effects are most serious for those with high blood pressure, heart disease, hardening of the arteries. Impaired driving ability is a result of pot use, as reaction time is impaired, as well as attention and compensation to changing driving conditions. Judgment and steady speed were impaired. One study found that teens who reported driving after smoking pot were 2.4X more likely to have an accident than those who didn’t drive after smoking pot. Panic reactions are unpredictable results of pot- it includes fear of loss of control as well as fear that things will never return to normal. Chronic lung exposure does impair air flow to the lungs. There is no direct evidence linking pot smoking to lung cancer in humans, but marijuana smoke has been compared to tobacco smoke in terms of high tar levels, carbon monoxide, hydrogen
cyanide, nitrosamines. While pot smokers inhale more deeply and don’t use filters, they don’t smoke as many joints as cigarette smokers. Reproductive effects are reducing testosterone levels in men, diminished sperm counts, some abnormal sperm in heavy users, lower birth weight and shorter length in babies. Immune system effects may be seen, but these are at higher doses than average use. Amotivational syndrome may be due to the levels of THC that remain in the body for some time after use. Insanity was feared, due to the panic reaction some people have, but there seems to be association with a history of psychiatric problems. Brain damage was also feared, but there is not seen any real brain atrophy due to use. Rat studies have shown deterioration of the hippocampus due to THC. Society has a challenge in determining whether pot use is serious enough to justify arrest and incarceration. Several states, including Colorado have decriminalized use of small amounts of marijuana. In the past few years, however, the tolerance pendulum has swung back, increasing penalties for use or possession. One-sixth of all federal prisoners are jailed for marijuana offenses. Longer sentences have been given for selling marijuana than for murder in some cases.