Cannabinoids Vs Cannabis Research Paper

CBD is a non-psychotropic part that does not have the high. THC is a psychoactive part that gives one the ‘high’ (Greenwell, 2012). In 2012, there was a successful story of a little girl named Charlotte Figi who was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome had frequent seizures. Her first seizure was at three years old and by the time she was five years old she was having “up to 50 generalized tonic-clonic seizures per day” (Maa and Figi, 2014). By 5 years old, Charlotte was out of options. Her parents did a lot of research and found the Stanley brothers. They made a “rare, high CBD strain of cannabis” (Maa and Figi, 2014). Charlie started out on a low dose and increased the dosage. She “experienced seven consecutive days without a single seizure” (Maa and Figi, 2014). By the three months, Charlie had been weaned off her other antiepileptic drugs when she had more than a ninety percent “reduction in GTC seizures and had been weaned off her other antiepileptic drugs…and she has only 2-3 nocturnal GTC seizures” a month (Maa and Figi, 2014). The Figi family tried three times to wean her off of medical marijuana however the seizures returned more severe each time. The nonprofit organization the Stanley Brothers created addresses “the needs of other patients with catastrophic epilepsy syndromes by helping them gain access to consistent, high quality, lab-tested, high-CBD-content cannabis” (Maa and Figi,

However, there is accumulating evidence of the psychological consequences of using marijuana. Many chronic marijuana smokers have a psychosis that is now medically deemed as, “A-motivational Syndrome” (Chopra 38). A psychosis is a condition where a person experiences some loss of contact with reality. A person with a psychosis can experience any or more of the following symptoms: auditory hallucinations (hearing voices that aren't really there), visual hallucinations (seeing things which aren't there), delusions (believing things that aren't true), jumbled thoughts and strange behavior. Patients with A-motivational Syndrome are left with the well-recognized and permanent symptoms of memory loss, apathy and loss of motivation (Chopra 38). After marijuana started to be widely used approximately 20 years ago, for permanent damage to occur it was felt by some that marijuana had to be heavily used over at least three years. However, there is accumulating evidence that smaller amounts will do damage. It is logical that to get the permanent “ A-motivational Syndrome”, small amounts of damage have to accumulate incrementally (Chopra 40). Although many marijuana connoisseurs of today may totally deny that that the use of this drug has lasting effects on the brain, research findings clearly indicate that long-term use of marijuana produces changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term use of other major drugs of abuse (Erickson 89).

The cannabis plant contains over 85 cannabinoids, with tertahydro-cannibinol (THC), the principal psychoactive compound and Cannabidiol (CBD) forming the largest constituent. According to the website Medical Marijuana Inc, CBD or Cannabidiol Hemp Oil is derived from high CBD, low THC hemp plant. Since hemp oil only contains only a small trace of THC, it is considered a non-psychotic product. Hemp oil works by interacting with the body through the endocannabinoid system or the endogenous cannabinoid system. The system contains millions of cannabinoid receptor sites located around the Central Nervous System (CNS), immune system and the brain. The systems plays an important role of regulating the body’s homeostasis or state of balance by impacting functionalities such as hormone balance, sleep, mood, immune response, appetite and pain.

While some users feel a sense of euphoria and relaxation; Some feel may feel paranoid, altered time and senses, and impaired body movement (NIDA). Some people have a variant of a gene called AKT1; Which codes for an enzyme that affects dopamine signaling in the striatum. According to NIDA, people who have this variant have an increased risk of developing psychosis. One study showed everyday smokers are seven times more likely to develop psychosis than infrequent smokers. Marijuana can worsen hallucinations and paranoia in schizophrenia patients(NIDA). Newsweek states that marijuana can bring forward an early psychosis diagnosis because of the effect of the brain of almost 3 years. Even if a person does not have the variant of the AKT1 gene,

Cannabis is in fact an extremely popular recreational drug around the world, just behind alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco. Tetrahydrocannabinol’s (THC) primary psychoactive effect is a state of relaxation, and to a lesser degree, forms of euphoria. Secondary psychoactive effects of THC are that of philosophical thinking, introspection, metacognition, in anxiety and paranoia cases. The psychoactive metabolite of THC produced in the liver (11-OH-THC)

Available scientific evidence indicate that marijuana contain a useful chemical that treats several mental disorder illnesses. The useful purpose of this drug has prompted a long standing debate as

Continuous cannabis use may increase the risk of a psychotic disorder by impacting the persistence of symptoms. Researchers failed to mention any written consent. The study had a limitation due to the DIA-X/M-CIDI using self-reported data. This study pertains to current research because of risk factors associated with developing a psychotic disorder.

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

These summary debates summarize and discuss are the calculation of cannabis use for many individuals with PTSD. According to the article, Does Cannabis Cause Exacerbated or Ameliorate Psychiatric Disorders, Neuropsychopharmacology (2016) 41, the authors of the article gives opposing viewpoints concerning the influence cannabis use has on those with post-traumatic stress disorder, the relationship with schizophrenia, and psychotic disorders.

It has been found that there are at least two active chemicals that researcher’s believe have medicinal application. It includes Cannabidiol (CBD), which impacts the brain, with no highs. Then, there is Tetrahydro Cannabinol (THC), which consists

Moore, T., Zammit, S., Lingford-Hughes, A., Barnes, T., Jones, P., Margaret Burke, & Lewis, G. (2007). Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review. The Lancet, 370, 319-328.

Researchers are focused on six non-hallucinogenic cannabis-derived chemicals, known as cannabinoids (University of St. George’s London, 2013). Research has shown that cellular receptors for marijuana’s active ingredients are present throughout the body, referred to the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system apparently has an impact on the autonomic nervous system, immune system, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive system, cardiovascular system and endocrine network (Brody 2013). Over the past few years, researchers have shown interest in a cannabis-derived chemical known as cannabidiol (CBD). CBD does not cause a “high” and has been found to have

The isolation of the lipophilic compounds found in marijuana led to the discovery of which component caused the psychoactive affects, D9-THC, which is produced from an acid derivative caused by the heating of the cannabis leaves. “It was not until the late 1980s that D9-THC was found to bind to two G-protein-coupled cell membrane receptors, consequently named the cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) and type 2 (CB2) receptors, to exert its effects. Thereafter, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, CB1 and CB2 endogenous ligands, were identified in animals andnamed endocannabinoids.16 CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain but also in several peripheral tissues. CB2 receptors are mainly found in immune and hematopoietic cells, but can become upregulated in other tissues.” (Devinsky, 2014, p. 793). Cannabinoid, a component of cannabis, does not active CB1 and CB2 receptors therefore it does not produce any psychoactive effects within the body. However cannabinoid or CBD is beneficial medically because it counter acts some of the function inhibitors D9-THC causes in the CB1 receptor, thus allowing cannabis to be more tolerable and increase the therapeutic

The main reason that the use of THC is slim in the future is principally due to the effects it produces within the central nervous system. These effects include: perceptual abnormalities, occasionally hallucinations, dysphoria, abnormal thinking, depersonalization, and somnolence (long periods of sleepiness or drowsiness).¹ One way to dodge these effects is in the use of non-THC plant cannabinoids, which do not seem to produce psychotropic effects. Canabidiol, for example, is considered to be nonpsychotropic. A proposed method cannabidiol allays this effect is by preventing its usual conversion to the more psychoactive 11-hydroxy-THC. Recently, scientists have found that systematic variations in constituents of THC (i.e., cannabidiol and cannabichromene) do not affect the behavioral or neurophysiological responses to marijuana¹

Despite the current marijuana laws, medical research has shown a variety of therapeutic benefits that arise from the use of cannabis. (Gowling et al. 1998, p. 446)) Revealed that ‘Over the years, cannabis has been claimed to increase appetite, relax the muscle, improve mood, relieve anxiety and combat pain and nausea’. As a result of these advantages, medical marijuana advocates support and has pushed for the legalisation of cannabis. However, it is argued that harmful effects can arise, demonstrating an association between cannabis with psychosis. Psychosis is a condition of the mind, involving a “loss of contact with reality”. Hall (1998) stipulated that ‘A high doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the