Brief overview of active chemicals in MMJ - Why the high?
- seniorsmmjnetwork
- Dec 6, 2014
- 3 min read
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) are the two main ingredients in the marijuana plant. Both CBD and THC belong to a unique class of compounds known as cannabinoids. While many strains of marijuana are known for having abundant levels of THC, high-CBD strains are less common. But CBD has recently started to draw attention from the medical community.
THC is probably best known for being the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. CBD, however, is non-psychoactive. In other words, CBD can’t get you high. While disappointing to recreational users, this unique feature of CBD is what makes it so appealing as a medicine. More than 400 chemical compounds have been identified in marijuana. The medicinal and psychoactive effects that we associate with marijuana are caused by unique chemical structures called cannabinoids found in the actual plant.
The major psychoactive ingredient (which produces the "high") in marijuana is delta-g-tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred to as THC. Other cannabinoids, in addition to THC, have medicinal or psychoactive elements. THC will not naturally occur in its active form in the cannabis plant. Instead, it occurs in an acidic form called tetrahydrocannabinolic acid or THC acid (THCA). When burned in a cigarette or heated in cooking, the THCA is rapidly converted to active THC in a heat-propelled reaction called decarboxylation. The amount of THC produced depends on the strain of cannabis and on environmental factors such as growth, harvest, and storage conditions. Unlike THC, we currently have very little knowledge of THCA. We do know that it is not psychoactive.
CBD is the next most common cannabinoid and is very prevalent in hemp varieties of cannabis. CBD actually lacks any noticeable psychoactive affects and does not really intereact with the body’s cannabinoid receptors. Despite that, plenty of evidence is starting to show that CBD has valuable medicinal properties.
If taken by itself, CBD has anti-inflammatory anti-anxiety, anti-epileptic, sedative, and neuro-protective properties. It’s also quite a powerful anti-oxidant and can protect against chemical damage due to oxidation. Lab and animal tests have suggested that CBD could even protect against the incurrence of the following diseases: diabetes; certain types of cancer; rheumatoid arthritis; brain and nerve damage as a result of a stroke, alcoholism and more.
CBD is one of the major ingredients in Sativex, the cannabis spray the UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals is developing. The spray contains equal parts CBD and THC and has been approved for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis in Canada. GW is at the forefront of CBD research and has plans to study its effectiveness in treating arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, psychotic disorders, and epilepsy.
Prescription medicines containing synthetic cannabinoids (THC) are already available.
Marinol (dronabinol) - Classified as Schedule III
Cesamet (nabilone) - Classified as Schedule II
Both medications are used to treat chemotherapy patients who have nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. However, Marinol is also approved to treat HIV patients with cachexia (weight loss, muscle atrophy, fatigue and loss of appetite). Studies have also been done which show that THC and cannabidiol (CBD) provide therapeutic benefit for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) spasticity symptoms.
In Canada, Europe, the UK, Spain, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and New Zealand, Sativex, an oral sublingual spray, is available for adjunctive use in MS neuropathic pain and cancer-related pain. Sativex® is composed of plant-derived extracts of THC and cannabidiol, not synthetic cannabinoids. In 2013, Sativex was in Phase II and III clinical trials for US approval for use in MS spasticity and cancer pain, and has the adopted generic name of nabiximols. Dronabinol has also been used in Europe for treatment of MS-related pain.
Here are three recommended articles on the subject -
The Weed Blog
Truth on Pot
Papa Ganja
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