Cannabis: History, Pharmacology, and Behavioral Effects

Practice vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes regarding the history, cannabis species, pharmacokinetics, and neurobiological mechanisms of cannabinoids.

Cannabis Sativa (hemp)

One of the earliest cultivated non-food plants ($8000 ext{ BC}$), which is not psychoactive and was historically grown for its tough natural fibers used in ropes, sails, and bags.

Marijuana

A dried preparation from the flowering hemp (tops, leaves, and stems) derived from Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica species, also known as ganja, weed, grass, or *420.

$\Delta9$-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

The most important cannabinoid out of approximately $70$ found in the plant, highly concentrated in the flowering tops or 'buds' of female plants.

Cannabidiol (CBD)

A cannabinoid reported to dampen the effects of THC.

Hashish

A cannabis derivative made from dried resin found in the fine outgrowths of female plant tops called 'trichomes.'

Kief (skuff)

The collective term for collected trichomes that are pressed into blocks to create hashish.

Hash oil

A high-potency derivative containing $10\text{-}30\%$ THC, created through solvent extraction from hashish.

Sativex

A medication containing THC and CBD that can be prescribed in the UK for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.

CB1 Receptor

A metabotropic receptor coupled to $G_i$ found primarily at presynaptic terminals in the brain (basal ganglia, hippocampus, cerebellum); its density is notably low in the brainstem.

CB2 Receptor

A cannabinoid receptor found primarily in the immune system and glia, associated with working and spatial memory.

$$11\text{-hydroxy-}\Delta9\text{ THC}$$

The primary metabolic product of $\Delta9$-THC produced in the liver, which is equally potent to $\Delta9$-THC itself.

$$11\text{-nor-9-carboxy-}\Delta9\text{-THC}$$

An inactive metabolite of THC.

Munchies

The common term for appetite stimulation, a physiological effect of cannabis intoxication.

WIN 55212

A high-potency synthetic cannabinoid that acts as a full agonist at both CB1R and CB2R.

Inverse Agonist

An agent, such as Rimonabant (SR141716), that binds to the same receptor as an agonist but induces a pharmacological response opposite to that agonist.

Anandamide (AEA)

An endogenous cannabinoid (N-arachidonoylethanolamine) that acts as a partial agonist at CB1 and CB2 receptors, named after the Sanskrit word for bliss.

2-AG (2-arachidonoyl glycerol)

An endogenous full CB1 and CB2 agonist present in higher brain concentrations than anandamide.

Retrograde Messengers

The role of endocannabinoids when they are synthesized in the post-synaptic membrane and travel backward to alter the physiology of the presynaptic terminal.

URB597

An anandamide hydrolysis inhibitor that, when injected into the amygdala, increases social play in juvenile rats.

Precipitated Withdrawal

A withdrawal syndrome seen in animals given high doses of cannabis, characterized by symptoms like paw tremors, similar to opiate withdrawal.