Cannabis & Heroin

Question 1

What is the origin of cannabis?

Answer 1

Cannabis originated either in the Riverine valley of Central Asia or in South Asia along the foothill of the Himalayas.

Question 2

What is THC?

Answer 2

THC – tetrahydrocannabinol is the primary psychoactive compound produced by cannabis.

Question 3

What is CBD?

Answer 3

CBD – cannabidiol is the other most common naturally occurring non-psychoactive compound in cannabis.

Question 4

Who introduced marijuana to the Caribbean and in what year?

Answer 4

Marijuana cultivation was introduced to the Caribbean in 1838 by the Indians.

Question 5

There are three main types of cannabis species:

Answer 5

1. Cannabis sativa
2. Cannabis indica
3. Cannabis ruderalis

Question 6

What did the continuation of inbreeding of the original favorable crosses
result in?

Answer 6

Some of the “super-sativas” of the 1970s, such as Original Haze, Purple Haze, Pollyanna, Eden Gold, Three Way, Maui Wowie, Kona Gold, and Big Sur Holy Weed.

Question 7

What are terpenes?

Answer 7

Any of a large group of volatile unsaturated hydrocarbons found in the essential oils of plants, especially conifers and citrus trees. They are based on a cyclic molecule having the formula C10H16.

Question 8

Cannabinoids represent a group of C21 terpenophenolic compounds unique to Cannabis and are divided into 10 subclasses which are:

Answer 8

1. Cannbigerol (CBG)
2. Cannabichromene (CBC)
3. Cannabidiol (CBD)
4. ∆9-Tetrahydrocannbinnol (THC)
5. ∆8 –THC
6. Cannabicyclol (CBL)
7. Cannabielsoin (CBE)
8. Cannabinol (CBN)
9. Cannabitriol (CBT)
10. Miscellaneous Cannabinoids class

Question 9

What are the main cannabinods?

Answer 9

CBD, THC, and CBN.

Question 10

When was CBD first isolated?

Answer 10

CBD was isolated in 1940, but its correct structure was first
elucidated in 1963 by Mechoulam and Shvo.

Question 11

When was THC first isolated?

Answer 11

THC was first isolated in 1942 but the correct structure was assigned in 1964 by Gaoni and Mechoulam.

Question 12

When was CBN was first named and by who?

Answer 12

CBN was first named in 1896 by a team lead by (Wood et al.) and its structure elucidated in 1940.

Question 13

What are the extraction solvents used for marijuana?

Answer 13

The extraction solvents used are methanol and chloroform. Both are HPLC grade and are of a 99.9% purity and 99.8% purity respectively.

Question 14

What is the Extraction/Sample Preparation for marijuana?

Answer 14

Marijuana samples were manicured and homogenized before being transferred to a 10 mL screw capped vial to which 1.0mL of extraction solution was added. Vortex the tube containing the extraction solution and the sample for 15 minutes to destroy glandular trichomes/plant tissue and allow soluble chemicals to be dissolved in the extraction solvent. Transfer the extract from the pipette into a micro centrifuge tube fitted with a filter and subject it to centrifugation for 15 minutes. Remove the filter and store at -20 degrees until GC/MS analysis.

Question 15

What is the analytical technique used to extract marijuana?

Answer 15

The GC/MS system consists of an Agilent Technology 7890A gas chromatograph interfaced to a 5975C VLDMSD mass Spectrometer. A 30-m DB-1 fused silica capillary column and 0.25mm OD,0.25μm film will be used to analyze the extract.

Question 15

What precautions must you take when using a GC/MS?

Answer 15

To ensure that the instrument is operating properly a QC sample will be injected after every ten test samples.

Question 16

What is heroin?

Answer 16

Heroin is a semisynthetic drug, produced from the morphine contained in the sap of the opium poppy.; Papaver somniferum.

Question 17

What are the natural derivatives from this opium poppy plant ?

Answer 17

morphine and codeine

Question 18

What is morphine?

Answer 18

Morphine is a powerful narcotic that produces psychological responses such as apathy and euphoria, and is highly addictive. Injection of morphine directly into the bloodstream was more effective in relieving pain, but increased the number of morphine addicts.

Question 19

What is codeine?

Answer 19

Codeine although it is less potent than morphine, codeine is one of the most potent cough suppressants known.

Question 20

What is the Heroin Production Process?

Answer 20

Heroin is derived from the opium poppy plant and involves adding two acetyl groups to the morphine molecule to make it easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier. The drug is usually a white powder with a bitter taste, but impurities or additives may cause variations in color.

Question 21

Why can heroin be directly injected into the bloodstream?

Answer 21

Heroin is less soluble in water than morphine, but more soluble in non-polar solvents. This means that it needs to be injected directly into the bloodstream to be effective, but once it passes through the blood-brain barrier, it can act quickly.

Question 22

Who synthesized heroin?

Answer 22

It is stated that heroin was originally synthesized by C.R. Alder Wright, an English chemist working at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, England in 1874.

Question 23

How is heroin administered?

Answer 23

Heroin is administered in several ways listed below:

1. Snorting
2. Smoking
3. Subcutaneous Injection
4. Intravenous Injection

Question 24

How did the Jamaican government and DEA find a way to resolve the heroine problem using heroine?

Answer 24

The heroin batch being trafficked (containing adulterating agents) can serve as tags and a profile of these agents can be made.

Question 25

How can adulterating agents help?

Answer 25

The profile of adulterating agents present can help law enforcement officers determine the location of the drug, allowing them to hold those responsible for its distribution and trafficking accountable. This would reduce the drug trafficking rate.

Question 26

What is adulteration?

Answer 26

Adulteration was defined as the introduction of a pharmacologically active substance to the illicit drug.

Question 27

What is an adulterating substance?

Answer 27

The adulterating substance may have a physiological effect resembling that of the active substance, thereby disguising the lower concentration of active substance that is present.

Question 28

What are diluents ?

Answer 28

Diluents were defined as substances without a pharmacological effect that were added to illicit drugs.

Question 29

Common adulterant which may be encountered in heroin samples:

Answer 29

1. Paracetamol 2. Griseofulvin 3. Diazepam 4. Phenobarbital 5. Piracetam 6. Methaqualone 7. Procaine 8. Barbital 9. Ascorbic acid 10. Salicylic acid

Question 30

Common diluents that may be encountered in heroin samples:

Answer 30

1. Sucrose 2. Glucose 3. Lactose/maltose 4. Mannitol

Question 31

How heroin is semi synthesized?

Answer 31

The most important details in this text are the steps taken to extract morphine from an empty 55-gallon oil drum. 30 gallons of water are added to the drum and brought to a boil. 10 to 15 kilograms of raw opium is added to the boiling water, while soil, leaves, twigs, and other non-soluble materials float in the solution. Slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) is then added to the solution, converting the water insoluble morphine into the water soluble calcium morphenate. Codeine and other alkaloids become part of the residual sediment 'sludge' that comes to rest on the bottom of the oil drum. As the solution cools, the morphine solution is scooped from the drum and poured through a filter of some kind. Burlap rice sacks are often used as filters. Morphine hydrochloride is purified by boiling calcium morphenate, adding ammonium chloride, and filtering it through cloth filters. It is then dried in the sun and formed into small brick-sized blocks in a press and wrapped in paper or cloth. The bricks are then dried for transport to heroin processing laboratories.

Question 32

The process of making heroin?

Answer 32

The process of making heroin involves mixing crude base with hydrochloric acid to create heroin hydrochloride. Adulterants such as caffeine, quinine hydrochloride or strychnine hydrochloride are then added. The wet paste mixture is dried over a steam bath and crushed into coarse lumps, which are then sifted through a mesh sieve and packaged for sale. The process takes about eight hours and can be done by one person with minimal skill.

Question 33

What are the short term effects of heroin on the body?

Answer 33

Euphoria A dry mouth Warm, flushed skin Arms and legs that feel heavy Upset stomach and vomiting Itching A fuzzy brain Switching in and out of drowsiness (this is often called being “on the nod”

Question 34

What can long term heroin use lead to?

Answer 34

Collapsed veins Insomnia Infections of your heart lining and valves Skin infections like abscesses and cellulitis A higher chance of getting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C Liver and kidney disease Mental disorders Lung diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis Menstrual problems and miscarriage