Hu 444 Research Paper

Cannabinoids are naturally occurring compounds that are produced by cannabis and hemp plants. THC, a widely-known cannabinoid that comes from the cannabis plant, is one of the main compounds responsible for producing the psychoactive effects associated with marijuana use. Unlike THC, CBD, (short for Cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid and does not result in any type of high. It can be legally extracted from the hemp plant and consumed in support of a healthy, natural lifestyle. Although some people in the cannabis industry claim that CBD and THC should be used together for maximum health benefits, we at Omega CBD do not find this to be

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive extract from the sativa plant that needs to be used in the medical field. The sativa plant produces both, cannabidiol and marijuana. However, cannabidiol is very different from the psychoactive drug, marijuana. The difference, marijuana contains a larger amount of the famous active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Which produces the psychoactive high in marijuana, but cannabidiol does not. Although, cannabidiol is the complete opposite of marijuana, for the very reason of THC it is a controversial product. Hemp Cannabidiol could be used for a very beneficial purpose: medicine in seizures. The level of THC in hemp cannabidiol is minor, though many people are still against the use of this extract for medicine because of the controversies and little research. According to the peer review, “What makes a Good Home Based Nocturnal Seizure Detector? A Value Sensitive Design”, by Judith van Andel, Frans Leijten, Hans van Delden, and Ghislaine van Thiel, all from the University of Medical Centre Utrecht, demonstrates that “Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders…” (1). Hemp CBD from the Sativa plant needs to be used more within the medical field because it has the potent for curing seizure illnesses, a new hope, and boosting the economy.

THC is the psychoactive chemical that is known to produce a high or “stoned” feeling when smoked by users. CBD, however, is non-psychoactive as a result of a lack of affinity for CB1 receptors in the brain. The levels of THC and CBD in both hemp and cannabis vary which make the oil extracts two very different products.

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.

According to the authors, recent studies have shown that there is another compound in marijuana that is increasing the attention of both scientists and medical marijuana providers known as cannabidiol, or CBD. CBD is not an intoxicating product, and does not produce a high when alone, but some researchers claim it may calm the anxiety produced by THC. Some research suggests that marijuana with a better balance between CBD and THC is less risky than the high-THC, low-CBD strains that now dominate the upper end of the marijuana market (Caulkin 9). With scientists discovering the new compound CBD, it makes them more interested in doing further research in order to discover more roles of other compounds

The body naturally produces these compounds, which are similar to the chemicals in cannabis. Reduction of endocannabinoid production is one reason why chronic stress is a major risk factor in the development of depression. The research team at the university administered marijuana cannabinoids to the rats, finding it to be an effective way to restore endocannabinoid levels in their brains, alleviating some symptoms of depression. In addition, the university that found synthetic cannabinoids activated the part of the brain associated with traumatic memories in rats, preventing the behavioral and physiological symptoms of PTSD. The article notes that depression is such a complex mental disorder as well as alleviating it with cannabis. Because of the lack of testing on the relationship between cannabis and depression, there is no 100% statement claiming that marijuana can help depression in human trials, although there are promising lab tests on rats.

In our world today, you would be hard-pressed to not have someone close to you with something as serious as cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. With cancer comes a great number of awful symptoms, but to waste away from a lack of appetite is quite common. Surprisingly, this complete lack of appetite can easily be alleviated simply by the consumption of marijuana, be it through inhalation or ingestion. The main compound in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has unique properties, and it is the reason why marijuana is such an effective treatment for loss of appetite and chronic pain. Though the FDA refuses to accept THC as appropriate treatment for these symptoms, they gladly endorse Marinol, the synthetic THC. The problems with Marinol are varied, but primarily, it is not nearly as effective as cannabis for treatment, and is quite psychoactive. While marijuana itself is a psychoactive drug, Marinol is 99% THC, and as such, consuming a pill of Marinol can easily induce a psychoactive state. Users have reported to be incapacitated for days and experiencing awful hallucinations all because of this man-made THC. The research is being done, the facts are presenting themselves, state legislature is moving forward, but it is not enough. Research has been done that actually shows evidence that THC lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s, one of the most

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,

The naphthoylindole JWH-018 is one of the most common active substances in synthetic cannabinoids, specifically it is alleged to be in the variety of ‘Spice’ brand products (NCPIC, 2013) seized by ACT Policing.

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

If nothing else, the lesson that can be taken from the connection between Hebb’s postulate in 1949 and the discovery of LPT in 1973 is that the advancements in the neurobiological field of medicine can applied to previous theories and start to offer new ways to alleviate the symptoms that come with diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. In a groundbreaking study, the alleviating effects of both THC and CBD were studied on rats who were injected with 6-hydroxydopamine (Lastres-Becker, Molina-Holgado, Ramos, Mechoulam, and Fernandez-Ruiz, 2005). This drug has been found to induce Parkinson’s disease-like conditions. Based on previous studies on the effectiveness of these cannabinoids on protecting neurons from neurotoxicity, the

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

Marijuana has been proven to help in the fight and cure of neurological diseases and disorders. Toxicologist Paul Consroe believes that THC in marijuana may help tone down the spasms that people suffer with Huntington’s disease, spinal cord injuries and other disorders. His studies show that specialized proteins that serve as docks for THC, are in regions of the brain known to play a role in movement disorders. These receptors also bind to anandamide, a marijuana-like substance manufactured by the body. In a 1986 study, Consroe showed that cannabidiol, a component of marijuana, calmed the abnormal movements of five people suffering from dystonia, a condition that makes muscle spasms that contort the body(“Marijuana as Medicine“).

The majority of the marijuana advocates' evidence comes from unscientific, non-scrutinized or analysed anecdotal statements from people with a variety of illnesses. It is unknown whether these individuals used marijuana prior to their illness or are using marijuana in combination with other medicines. It is also unknown whether they have had recent medical examinations, are justifying their use of marijuana, experiencing a placebo effect, or experiencing the intoxicating effect of smoking marijuana. The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana (THC) is already legally available in pharmaceutical capsule form by prescription from medical doctors. This drug, Marinol, is less often prescribed because of the potential adverse effects, and there are more effective new medicines currently available. Marinol differs from the crude plant marijuana because it consists of one pure, well-studied, FDA-approved pharmaceutical in stable known dosages. Marijuana is an unstable mixture of over 400 chemicals including many toxic psychoactive chemicals, which are largely unstudied and appear in uncontrolled strengths.