Nicotine and THC

Why is Tobacco is the most dangerous substance in the world?

• Kills more people than 

  • DDT 

  • PCB’s 

  • Industrial chemicals 

  • Pesticides 

  • Cocaine 

  • Alcohol 

  • Homicide 

  • Suicide

• COMBINED

• Tobacco kills 480,000 per year (North America)

• Lowers life expectancy by aprox. 10 years

Columbus “discovers” tobacco 1492

Indigenous peoples smoked from tobbagos

How many cigarettes does the average smoker smoke each year?

10,000

Nicotine is the addictive substance

2mg per cigarette

Nicotine stimulates dopamine release

How does nicotine work?

Nicotine acts as an agonist at acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain

Nicotine is an agonist at low doses - stimulant

Nicotine is an antagonist at high doses - relaxing

Reducing the effects of nicotine aids in quitting

Varenicline (Chantix/Champix®) works by binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain, which reduces the effects of nicotine and helps with smoking cessation

What is the lethal dose for nicotine?

60 mg

Metabolic reaction changes it into cyanide

What are the toxic substances in tobacco smoke and what are their effects?

Carbon monoxide 

• Blocks oxygen transport 

• Damages heart tissue 

• Heart attacks kill more smokers than cancer does

• Reduces oxygen capacity of blood 

  • Carbon monoxide sticks tightly to hemoglobin 

    • Requires several hours to remove 

  • Prevents oxygen transport 

  • Damages heart and blood vessels

Strong carcinogens

Lung cancer then and now

1919 only 400 cases in North America

• Chimney sweeps

2004 190,000 cases in North America

• Smokers

Tobacco advertising targeted women in the 1950’s

Women start smoking to stay slim

When smokers quit smoking they eat more

Eating more food = gain weight

Second-hand smoke is harmful

41,000 deaths/year (U.S)

eFluid is a flavoured vapor source

• Solvent 

  • Propylene glycol 

  • Glycerol (glycerin) 

  • Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 

• Nicotine 

  • (0 to 20 mg) 

    • legal 

  • (0 to 60 mg) 

    • actual 

• Flavour 

  • Artificial food flavour

How do e-cigarettes work?

Solvent simulates smoke 

• Large water-soluble molecules 

  • Vapor condenses after heating - droplets 

• Droplets create the appearance of smoke 

• Texture similar to smoke in the mouth 

• Some of the solvents create acrolein when heated 

  • Carcinogen

Where does popcorn lung come from?

Diacetyl (flavouring)

Is vaping safe?

No

Is vaping safer than cigarettes?

Yes, 95% harm reduction

• Cigarette 

  • Carbon monoxide 

  • Polonium 

  • Combustion by products 

  • Particulates 

  • Nicotine 

• E-Cigarette 

  • Nicotine 

  • Carbonyl compounds 

  • Glycols 

Why was weed legalized?

• Reduce costs associated with law enforcement 

• Create a regulated market to ensure safety 

  • Still a large black market

What are the active ingredients in cannabis?

Tetrahydrocannabinol

Cannabidiol

Side effects of THC

Impairs memory

Slows reaction time

Schizophrenia

Edibles versus smoking

• Highs are different 

• Edibles give a slowed delayed effect (hours)

  • Easier to overdose

  • Risk for children

  • More problematic side effects

Vitamin E and weed pens

Vitamin E used to thicken the mixture 

• Dilute solution of THC 

• Add vitamin E acetate to thicken the mixture 

  • “Passes” bubble test 

  • Small amount of THC look like large amount 

• Causes chemical pneumonia 

  • Prevents gas transport in the lungs 

  • Very difficult for the body to remove vitamin E from lungs 

  • Builds up and destroys lungs

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (C.H.S.)

Severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting

Sufferers self-learn to treat with heat

• Hot baths or showers

Delta-8

• Delta-8 is a synthetic cannabinoid

• Cannabis illegal in most of US 

• Law specifically restricts -9 THC in U.S 

  • Loophole in laws allow -8 THC