An Introduction to Cannabinoids Flashcards
Where and when was marijuana first used?
China 600 BCE
What year(s) did the US recognize the medicinal use of Marijuana?
1850-1942
Name the book that lists Marijuana as well as other chemical compounds used for medicinal use.
Pharmacopeia
What does NORML stand for? What year was it established?
National Organization of Reform of Marijuana Laws. Est. 1972
What is the other spelling of “Marijuana”? Where does it originate from?
Marihuana and it originates from Mexican Spanish with its exact meaning unknown.
What is Marijuana?
Refers to the dried plant products from the cannabis plant.
What is THC?
Tetrahydrocannabinol-The psychoactive component of the dried plant product.
What are the three common strains of Cannabis?
(1) C. Sativa
(2) C. Indica
(3) C. Ruderalis
What does C. Sativa contain?
High THC
What does C. Indica contain?
A mix of both THC and CBD.
What does C. Ruderalis contain?
High CBD
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol
List 3 things about C. Sativa
(1) Grows in wild temperate regions
(2) Some variations used for fiber
(3) Concentration of THC varies
List 5 things about C. Indica
(1) Shorter and fatter leaves than C. Sativa
(2) Source is in Middle East and India
(3) Not generally used for fiber
(4) Higher conc. of THC
(5) Source for Hashish
What is Hashish?
The compressed glands for the THC-rich plant resin.
List 2 things about C. Ruderalis
(1) Small, thin species with low if any concentration of THC
(2) Grows in Northern Europe and Asia
The differences between Sativa and Indica
Sativa:
-More stimulating, uplifting, energy, and creativity
-Better treatement for depression, headaches, nausea and loss of apetite.
Indica:
-More relaxing, sedating, and pain reducin
-Better at treating pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, epilepsy, galucoma, and insomnia
What hybrid dominates the cannabis market?
The sativa-indica hybrid
What are the five of forms of Marijuana?
-Bhang: Stem and leaves (lowest of THC)
-Ganja: Flowering tops and leaves (3-5% concentration THC)
-Sinsemella: “w/o seeds” (High concentration of THC (10-12%).
-Hashish: “Charas” or sticky resin that contains most of the THC is collected and pressed into cakes
-Hash Oil: THC extracted from cannabis using solvents. Extremely high concentration of THC (up to 60%)
Do seeds have a low or high concentration of THC?
Low concentration.
List three types of cannabinoids.
(1) Cannabinoids include: endocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, and phytocannabinoids.
What is the most abundant cannabinoid?
THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid)
How is THCA decarboxylated?
-Smoking
-Vaporization
-Processing to delta 9-THC
Terpenoids
An organic aromatic compound found in many plants.
List some properties of THC.
-Psychoactive
-Anti-inflammatory
-Neuroprotective
-Anti-naseau
-Analgesic
What forms when THC goes through the metabolism?
11-OH-THC
How many times is 11-OH-THC more psychoactive than THC?
4 times.
List some characteristics of CBD.
-Non-psychoactive w/ no significant affinity for CB1 and CB2 receptors
-Blocks formation of 11-OH-THC
-Mitigates the side effects of THC (anxiety, dysphoria, panic reactions, and paranoia) while improving THC’s therapeutic activity.
Are CB receptors present in vertebraes or invertabraes?
Vertebraes.
Where are CB1 receptors present?
Mostly present in the CNS, but also in the uterus, testes, adipose tissue, etc.
Do humans have more opioid receptors or more CB1 receptors?
CB1 receptors.
What does activation of CB1 receptors increase? and what does it decrease?
Increase:
-Appetite
-Cerebral Dilation
-Coronary Dilation
Decrease:
-Heart rate
-Blood Pressure
-Core body temperature
-Myocardial contracility
Where are CB2 receptors present?
-Peripheral tissues of the immune system (leukocytes, spleen, tonsils, thymus, and bone marrow)
-gastrointestinal system
What are the two endogenous cannabinoids that the body synthesizes and degrades?
-Anandamine (AEA)
-2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)
What are 2-AG and AEA metabolites of?
Arachidonic acid.
Do these two endogenous cannabinoids resemble THC?
No.
List the four common modes of administering cannabis.
-Inhalation/Smoking
-Oral
-Oro-muscal/Sublingual
-Topical/Rectal
List the five common formulations of cannabis.
-Resin, Herbal
-Chemically-extracted concentrates
-Edibles, Tinctures
-Lozenges, Lollipops, Nabiximols
-Prescription cannabinoids
Which routes of administration use the following formulations?
-Herbal cannabis
-Resin
-Chemically extracted concentrate
-Smoking/Inhalation/Vaporization
-Topical
-Rectal
What percentage of THC reaches the lungs by inhalation?
20-70%
When does THC peak in plasma after inhaling?
3 to 10 minutes.
How long do the psychoactive effects kick in after inhaling? And how long do they last?
90 seconds and last for 1 to 4 hours.
What point does smoking heats cannabis reach?
The combustion point.
What point do vaporizers reach?
The boiling point.
Benefits of smoking
It is simple and effective.
Disadvantages of smoking
Cannabis and tobacco contain bronchial irritants and carcinogens.
Benefits of a water pipe.
Removes gas-phase smoke toxicants such as CO, acetylaldehyde, ammonia, and nitrosamines.
Disadvantages of water pipes.
-Tar is not readily removed
-Removes THC than Tar (Counterproductive)
Benefits of vaporizing.
-More efficient THC delivery than smoking
-No smoke so in return, no tar generated
-Lower risk of burn injuries or fires
-An options useful for patients who hav bronchial distress.
Disadvantages of vaporizing
-Difficult to use
-Requires special equipment
-Expensive!!
Types of topicals.
-Creams (oil and water in equal proportions
-Ointments (oil and water in 80% to 20% ratio)
-Transdermal patches
-Herbal poultices
How well are the pharmacokinetics of topicals understood?
Not really understood
Types of rectal
Stable and bioavailable THC-ester supporsitories
What occurs when cannabis is administered via rectal?
It avoids first pass metabolism through the liver making THC more bioavailable than oral.
How long is the onset of action for rectal?
10 minutes.
How long is the onset of action for orals?
90 minutes.
For oral: when are peak plasma concentrations achieved?
1-6 hours
Does oral administration go under first pass metabolism? And what percent is metabolized to 11-OH-THC?
Yes, and 50% is metabolized to 11-OH-THC.
Benefits of oral
-Useful for chronic conditions that require a higher dosage and longer half-life.
-Lacks pulmonary side effects associated with smoking.
Disadvantages of oral.
-Delayed onset of action which makes dose titration difficult
-Erratic gastrointestinal bioavailability also makes the dose titration difficlt
-The first pass metabolite 11-OH-THC may have 4-fold psychoactivity than THC
-Overdosing is more common.
What are the formulations use for oral administration?
-Tinctures
-Edibles
-Prescription cannabinoids
What are the formulations for oro-mucosal?
-Lollipops and lozenges
-Tinctures when dispensed with atomizer spray
What occurs with oro-mucosal?
Some passes through blood stream, but majority goes through first pass metabolism.
Do the onset action and peak plasma of oro-mucosal occur sooner than the oral route?
Yes.
Benefits of oro-mucosal
Better for patients who experience naseau.
Disadvantages of oro-mucosal
Makes it less psychoactive than either smoked or ingested cannabis, but still too psychoactive for some patients.
Describe herbal cannabis.
“Sinsemilla,” the dried flowering tops of unseeded female plants, is the most common – and oldest – formulation of medical cannabis
What is the potency of herbal cannabis?
-The THC content has changed over the years
-From the years 1979 to 2008 there has been an increase from 1.58% to 8.80%.
What are some issues with herbal cannabis?
Due to sloppy farming and harvesting, there may be fungi and bacteria present.
Some farmers also spray their crops with pesticides which can pass into cannabis smoke.
Describe hashish
Resin (hashish) is composed of glandular trichomes mechanically extracted from flowering tops and upper leaves, formulated as powder or pressed into solids.
How potent is Hashish?
THC content is typically 15% to 20%.
From what country is hashish adulterated?
Morroco
Describe chemically extracted concentrates.
Formulations include yellow waxy chips, dark brown viscous oil, and cartridges similar to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) made from concentrates of dabs, wax, budder, honey oil, shatter and butane hash oil.
What is the potency of chemically extracted concentrates?
Varies, but can go up to 70% THC.
What is the problem with chemical extraction?
Solvents and their residues. Also this process removes terpenoids that have medicinal benefits.
Where are edibles formualted from?
Herbal cannabis, resin, or concentrates.
What is used in baked goods to extract cannabinoids and terpenoids?
Butter or oil.
What is the potency for edibles?
10-25mg in THC.
Benefits of edibles, tinctures, and oils.
-Same as orals
-Cost of ingredients is less expensive
-Some products are high in CBD, therefor eless psychoactive.
Disadvantages of edibles, tinctures, and oils.
-Same as oral
-No clinical evidence base
-Attractive to children
-THC degrades faster in ethanolic tinctures than in frozen herbal cannabis.
-Dosage standardization may very batch to batch or may just vary in a single batch.
Define Lozenges and Lollipops.
They are based on herbal cannabis, resin, or concentrates, extracted using glycerin, ethanol, or butane.
Potency of lozenges and lollipops.
10 mg of THC.
Benefits of lozenges and lollipops.
Same as oro-mucosal.
Disadvantages of lozenges and lollipops.
-Same as oro-mucosal
-No clinical evidence base
-Attractive to children
-Dosage standardization is complex.
