Chapter 14: Cannabis Flashcards
Hemp Plant
Cannabis Sativa
What is the main active ingredient in cannabis
9-tetrahydrocannabinol
Three main cannabinoids of focus. what does each do?
1) 8THC: gets you stoned
2) Cannabinol CBN: alters metabolism of 9THC
3) Cannabidiol CBD: has therapeutic actions (use of medical marijuana). helps anxiety
T/F: cannabidiol gets you high
no. thats byproduct 8THC. cannabidiol produces therapeutic effects and does not get you high in the process because there is no thc
T/F: active ingredients produced by 9:THC is dependent upon preparation and route of administration.
true. there are chemical differences between oral and inhalation, causing different POTENCY levels.
Which method of administration produces cannabinoids with highest potency?
inhalation.
what is CBD (cannabidiol) turned into when burned?
converted into 9THC.
if exposed to light or air, the 9THC in marijuana can get converted into ____. What happens to the metabolism?
Cannabinol. This speeds up the metabolism and breakdown of the drug in the body
Is THC acid or basic? Is it ionized in bodily fluids?
a weak acid, but it’s pka is 10.6, so it is not ionized at the pH of bodily fluids.
is THC fat soluble?
yes. that is why it is easy to bake pot brownies ;)
adding oil to THC extract ___ absorption
increases/speeds up absorption.
Is there considerable first pass metabolism if you orally take THC?
yes. inhalation by passes first pass metabolism and may result in you getting 3x more THC than oral tablets.
Which route of administration will cause longer effects? oral or inhalation?
oral intake will last longer but will not be as potent. inhalation will have fast acting but short duration effects.
How does a bong help with inhalation of THC?
a bong is a water pipe that COOLS smoke and prevents loss of drug in side stream smoke.
which method of administration is most likely to causenausea or vomiting?
oral
how do vaporizers work? Are they better health-wise than bongs?
vaporizers heat THC oil to its boiling point where the person can inhale the vapors. vapors increase pulmonary function without decreasing the concentration of THC that ends up entering the body
T/F: THC levels in the brain continue to increase for several hours after the drug has been consumed.
true. the peak “high” produced by different doses of THC administered lags behind the peak blood levels of THC
where does most metabolism of THC occur?
in the liver
what does 9 THC turn into?
11 THC?
9THC vs 11THC in terms of blood brain barrier permeability
11 THC penetrates the blood brain barrier more easily
why are traces of THC able to be found even after weeks of smoking?
because it is so lipid soluble that it stays in the fat longer
how does Cannabidiol effect metabolism of THC?
it slows metabolism by blocking the enzyme that degrades 9THC
If you burn CBD, it turns into ____. If you don’t burn CBD and administer it in another method, it ____
If you burn CBD, it turns into 9THC. If you don’t burn CBD and administer it in another method, it BLOCKS metabolism of 9THC
how does cannabinol effect metabolism of THC?
it speeds up the metabolism of THC.
in addition to changing metabolism of THC, what else does CBD and CBN do to THC?
it may displace bound THC from binding sites in the blood and increase the about of THC that’s available to cross into the brain.
people with _____ amount of body fat will have shorter time of THC detection in their blood.
people with LESS amount of body fat will have shorter time of THC detection in their blood.
Explain the phases of THC excretion
1) initial phase. 9THC levels fall rapidly, with an initial half life of 30 min as they get redistributed into the fat.
2) later phase. metabolism is slowed. dependent on how fast THC is released from the fat stores. fat people will take longer to excrete THC.
are cannabinoid receptors metabotropic or ionotropic
metabotropic
what second messengers are CB receptors coupled to?
cAMP second messengers
CB1 receptors are mainly found in the ___
CNS
CB2 receptors are mainly found ___
outside the nervous system altogether.
CB receptors often use ____transmission
retrograde transmission
receptors are often found on ___ synaptic neurons
PREsynaptic neurons.
what results from activation of CB receptors?
activation results in depolarization induced suppression of excitation (DSE) OR depolarization induced suppression of inhibition (DSI) depending on whether CB1 receptor is located on a terminal containing excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters.
if CB1 receptor activation occurs on a cell that houses GABA, what would happen? (DSE or DSI)?
CB1 activation will inhibit the cell from firing and thus no GABA will be released. There will be a suppression of INHIBITION. there will be a DSI. there will be more brain activity because there is no inhibition happening.
( - ) x ( - ) = +
CB1 x GABA= +
if CB1 receptor activation occurs on a cell that houses glutamate, what would happen? (DSE or DSI)? What is the overall brain effect?
CB1 activation will inhibit glutamate. glutamate is excitatory. there will be an inhibition of excitation. DSE.
There is less brain activation happening, thus, the overall brain effect is inhibitory because of the DSE. (-CB1 x +glu effect= -)
primary location of CB2 receptors
on immune function organs and spleen
what chemical in chocolate binds to Cb1 receptors?
anadamide in chocolate also binds to CB1
what reasoning may account for the biphasic effects of cannabis?
widespread distribution of Cb1 affects many different transmitter systems including the Periaquaductal grey (pain) and the NAcc (mesolimbic dopamine system)
endogenous substances that bind to CB receptors
endocannabinoids
T/F: endocannabinoids have longer lasting and greater effect on cannabinoid receptors than THC because they are natural and bind the best to the receptor
false. THC causes larger degrees of effects than endocannabinoids
explain the mechanism of neuromodulation that occurs.
1) a presynaptic cell is firing some transmitter (ex/ glutamate)
2) the post synaptic cell is getting activated because glutamate is excitatory. it releases what ever transmitter it is supposed to release, but it also releases an ENDOCANNABINOID
3) the endocannabinoid from the post synaptic cell binds to the CB1 receptor of the pre synaptic cell, inhibiting it’s function
4) the pre synaptic cell fires glutamate, and now it is inhibited by CB1, which triggers second messengers, causing a depolarization-induced suppression of excitation (DSE), because glutamate is excitatory.