Cannabis Flashcards
List the seven priorities of the Canadian Cannabis Act
1) Protect the health of young persons by restricting their access to cannabis
2) Minimize inducements to use cannabis
3) Increase public awareness of the health risks of using cannabis
4) Allow the legal production of cannabis to replace the illicit market
5) Deter illicit cannabis production and sale
6) Enable cannabis users to have a quality-controlled supply of cannabis
7) Reduce the burden of dealing with cannabis offences imposed on the criminal justice system
What has QC done differently to tightly regulate cannabis use?
1) Purchase age is 21
2) SQDC is the only retailer
3) Reduced the amount of cannabis that an adult could legally possess
4) Banned the growing of cannabis for personal use
5) Limit on THC content of edibles
6) Banned additives to any cannabis products that would increase attractiveness or flavour or enhance their psychoactive effects
List key trends in cannabis use prevalence in Canada.
1) Increased use
2) Greater use in men
3) Highest rates in young adults
T or F: The Cannabis Act has successfully met its objective of protecting youth.
False.
Which age group has seen a drastic increase in cannabis use in recent years? What might be some reasons to explain that?
Aging adults (>55).
→ possibly for pain management, they have more time, less stigma surrounding cannabis
List major consequences of cannabis legalization.
Cannabis legalization may support increased patterns of cannabis use due to:
1) Decreased perceived harmfulness
2) Increased cannabis availability and accessibility
T or F: Overall, the Cannabis Act is working and is reaching its targets.
False.
Cannabis use, daily cannabis use and cannabis-related problem prevalence have dramatically increased.
T or F: Cannabis legalization has had no effect on the number of injured drivers testing positive for THC.
False
Cannabis legalization has increased (x2) the prevalence of injured drivers testing positive for THC, whereas no change in alcohol was observed.
Which priority of the Cannabis Act has seen success?
Substantial reductions in criminal arrests and charges related to cannabis use — and related stigma and other personal burdens — among both adults and youth should be noted as related positive social justice and possibly indirect public health outcomes.
Read slides 3-24.
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What is cannabis?
Derived from the Cannabaceae family of plants and refers to a mixture of cut, dried, and ground flowers, leaves, and stems of the hemp plant.
What drug properties does cannabis possess?
1) Stimulant
2) Depressant
3) Hallucinogenic
T or F: Herbal cannabis contains over 400 different compounds.
True.
How many of the compounds in herbal cannabis are cannabinoids?
> 80
Which compounds are responsible for the aroma of cannabis?
Terpenes
Which compounds are responsible for the pigment and flavor of cannabis?
Flavonoids
What are the two most known cannabinoids? (Full names)
1) THC: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
2) CBD: cannabidiol
T or F: CBD is responsible for psychoactive and addictive properties of cannabis.
False.
THC produces psychoactive properties and is responsible for addictive properties.
What effect does CBD have?
CBD is non-psychoactive, but still biologically active.
It does not cause a high and is not addictive.
T or F: CBD acts on dopamine reward systems.
False.
List the three cannabis species. Add any relevant CBD/THC ratios and their effects.
1) Cannabis sativa
→ high THC:CBD
→ produces more stimulating and psychotropic effects
2) Cannabis indica
→ high CBD: THC
→ produces more sedating effects
3) Ruderalis
→ low THC strain
T or F: There are only three strains of cannabis.
False.
There are >700 and they are mostly a combination of the three species.
T or F: Smoked cannabis produces greater subjective effects than vaporized cannabis.
False.
Vaporized cannabis produced significantly greater subjective drug effects (and higher blood THC concentrations) than the same doses of smoked cannabis.
List different modes of cannabis administration
1) dried flower/leaf
2) edible products
3) concentrates/extracts
4) vape pens
5) oil
6) hashish
How does cannabis interact with the brain?
Through the endocannabinoid system.
What is the endocannabinoid system?
The Endocannabinoid system is a widespread neuromodulatory system.
What functions is the endocannabinoid system involved in?
1) CNS development
2) Regulation of physical and cognitive processes
How does the endocannabinoid system work to maintain homeostasis?
1) Controls the level and activity of other neurotransmitters
2) Influences and is influenced by other signaling pathways
T or F: The endocannabinoid system is active even in the absence of cannabis.
True.
T or F: The endocannabinoid system is implicated in a number of pathological conditions (e.g.,
schizophrenia)
True.
List some elements that the endocannabinoid system can have an effect on.
Slide 33 mama
List the three forms of cannabinoids. Where do they come from?
1) Endocannabinoids
→ endogenous
2) Phytocannabinoids
→ flora
3) Synthetic cannabinoids
→ artificial
T or F: Endocannabinoids serve as neurotransmitters.
False.
Endocannabinoids serve as neuroregulatory modulators. They are lipid molecules synthesized on demand.
How do endocannabinoids act on the nervous system?
Endocannabinoids are retrograde messengers; they are released from postsynaptic cells and travel backwards across the synapse to then bind to cannabinoid receptors located on the presynaptic cell.
How many cannabinoid receptors exist?
2.
→ CB1R & CB2R
Where is each CBR predominantly located in the body?
1) CB1R: CNS
2) CB2R: periphery and immune cells
List the two best characterized endocannabinoids and the enzymes linked to their degradation. (Full names)
1) Anandamide
→ enzyme: fatty acid amino hydrolase (FAAH)
2) 2-Arachidonylglycerol (2-AG)
→ enzyme: monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL)
T or F: Our bodies produce endocannabinoids which bind to CB1R and CB2R.
True.
T or F: Anandamide is a partial agonist at CB1R and CB2R.
True.
T or F: 2-AG is an inverse agonist at CB1R and CB2R.
False.
2-AG is a full agonist at CB1R and CB2R.
List the brain regions where CB1R can be found. Which ones are highly concentrated regions?
1) Basal ganglia*
2) NAcc*
3) Hippocampus*
4) Cerebellum*
5) Neocortex
6) Hypothalamus
7) Amygdala
8) Brain stem
T or F: THC is a partial agonist at CB1R and CB2R.
True.
How is THC metabolized?
Metabolized into the inactive metabolite Carboxy-THC (THC-COOH) by Cytochrome P450 enzymes.
T or F: THC has a relatively short half-life.
False.
THC has a long half-life (20-30 hours). It deposits in adipose tissue and later re-released into blood.
How long do THC metabolites remain detectable?
Approx. 28 days after last use.
Describe the distribution PK of THC when smoking.
1) THC is rapidly absorbed through lungs after inhalation quickly reaching high concentration in blood: peak 6-10 minutes; post-inhalation and brain: peak within 15 to 30 minutes
2) THC is highly lipid soluble. It is rapidly taken up by fat tissue where it accumulates reaching peak concentration 4-5 days later.
3) From these fat deposits, THC is slowly released back into the bloodstream