11. Tobacco, Vaping, MJ, CBD Flashcards
What are the benefits of smoking Juul/vaping, compared to cigarettes?
- Cigarette smoke has thousands of chemicals and > 70 carcinogens; e-cigs have less chemicals (~80)
- Less damage to lungs
- Cheaper
- Tastes better
- Fingers don’t smell like smoke; stains disappear
- Whiter teetch
- Overall looks improve bc no damage to skin and hair
- Sense of smell/taste improves
- Social interactions increase bc vaping is not seen as dirty
- Dont need to go outside for a smoke break
- Helps ppl stop smoking cigs
What are reasons for vaping?
- Use by a family/friend
- Taste
- Belief that vaping is safer > tobacco products
- Curiosity
Why has vaping/Juuls become a concern?
- 19% of girls and 23% of boys in middle/HS use tobacco products: common to use both e-cigs and regular cigs; MC in older, non-hispanic white and hispanic
- Upward trend of e-cig use in 10th graders in US (68% of e-cig users use flavors):
- Students become addicted to nicotine, which can harm developing brain, which contintues to develop until ~ 25 YO.
Why are adolescents more vulnerable to doing drugs and becoming addicted?
In adolescents, the prefrontal CTX is still developing. It is responsible for executive function: causing ↑-risk taking, impulsivibity and novelty seeking behavior.
Physiologically, how does nictoine affect the brain?
- Nicotine (+) nAChR on neurons in VTA => ↑ DA release in pre-frontal CTX.
- Impairs neuroplasticity (ability of brain to change T/O persons life) => alters gene expression, cell structure, intracellular signialing, synpatic pruning, removing redundant connections), myelination
How does nicotine affect the prefrontal CTX?
- Causes long-term cognitive impairment, affecting both accuracy and impulse control.
- Adolescent smokers: ↓ prefrontal CTX activity => ↓ memory and ATN
- Behavioral disturbances later in life: substance abuse/mental health problems
Is vaping safer than smoking?
Perhaps it is safer than burned tobacco products, but vape still has harmful chemicals. Overall impact on health has not been determined: may have compounds not safe to ingest and vitamin E acetate
How does vaping damage the lungs?
Vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent used to dilutre THC oil causes acute toxic lung injury, within a few days to weeks => pneumonia patters in lungs => extensive lung damage requiring O2 and days on ventilatory and permenent damage in some.
What is DWW theory in the vaping health crisis?
Aerolizing oil lets them penetrate deep in the lungs, coating the surfaces and creating a thin layer of oil that soaks up toxins and particles from air we breathe in, based on oil-water partition coefficient => deposit of toxins that cause damage.
What are other theories of the sudden vaping crisis?
- Bad ingrediants (Vit E acetate)
- Contaminents in products
- Past cases were not detected as being due to vaping
- Home-made vape
- Chinese tarriffs made poor quality materials
- Slow regulations: FDA pushed back scheduled review until 2022
How have we moved to banning e-cigs?
- Fruit and mind flavored cartridges must be DQ, except for tank vaping systems.
- Tobacco purchase was raised from 18 => 22.
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- Tobacco purchase was raised from 18 => 22.
What chemicals does medical marijuana have?
> 100 chemicals called cannabinoids. Main two are:
- THC (delta-9-tettrahydrocannabinol) => makes you “high”
- CBD (cannabidiol)
How is medical marijuana regulated?
- Schedule 1 drug, making research with drug difficult because of need for permits. But;
- Legal for medicinal purposes in 33 states/DC: need a written recommendation from a doctor, a qualifying condition + a medical card.
MOA of Marijuana?
What enzymes break down endocannabinoids?
- Post-synaptic neuron makes endocannabinoids by stimulai that cause ↑ in intracellular Ca2+ => (+) DAG-lipase => make anandamide (partial AGO) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG; full AGO)
- Go into synaptic space => bind to CB1-R on presynaptic neuron
- (-) AC
- Hyperpolarize presynaptic neuron due to less Ca2+ influx and K+ moves out
- Less NT release
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To stop endocannabinoids:
- FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase) in post-synaptic cell hydrolyzes anandamide
- MAG-lipase, in presynaptic cells, breaks down 2-AG.
- **CB2-R are found on immune cells and cause cytokine reelase. However, endocannibinoids have higher affinity for CB1R.
What effects are mediated by the CB1-R?
- 1. Analgesia
- 2. ↑ Appetite
- 3. Relaxes muscles
- 4. Hormonal action
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5. Psychoogical effects:
- Affective: euphoria and laughter
- Sensory: increased perception of external stimuli, own body
- Somatic: feeling of floating/sinking in bed
- Cognitive: altered perceptions in time/memory lapses
