Cannabinoids: The Different Types and Their Effects

1. What are cannabinoids, and how do they differ from phytocannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are drug substances which tend to act on the cannabinoid receptors within the nervous system of a person and in other places in the body. Cannabinoid originates from a plant, cannabis, which is known to contain several naturally occurring compounds of the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant has three major types, i.e. Cannabis ruderalis , Cannabis indica , and the commonly used globally Cannabis sativa. Generally, these plants are usually known as hemp (Prus, 2017). These plants are the carriers of the psychoactive cannabinoids. Cannabis plants have leaves and flowers which have trichomes , which are small and resembles hairs having glands that are to release a resin which usually contains cannabinoid. This resin is known as phytocannabinoids, which contains the key psychoactive ingredient of the cannabis plant, i.e. delta-9-THC and other compounds like the delta-8-THC, and cannabinol, among others (Prus, 2017). In other words, phytocannabinoids are cannabinoids, which are derived from hemp.

2. What are the differences between delta-9-THC, cannabidiol, and cannabinol?

The constituents of phytocannabinoids as much as they are on the same plant, they tend to have some differences. Their compositions tend to vary considerably from one compound to the other and may be due to their geographical location or place they grew, and the cannabis varieties sample part of the plant and maturation level of the plant (Prus, 2017). For instance, delta-9-THC is contained in large concentrations in the Cannabis sativa plants, unlike in any other cannabis plants. Cannabidiol on the hand is contained in Cannabis indica in large concentration compared to the other plants. Cannabinol, also a phytocannabinoids compound, is usually most common among the old cannabis plants (Andre et al., 2016). Cannabinol has the least amount of phytocannabinoid, unlike the others even in maturation. The Cannabis sativa delta-9-THC concentration, unlike the others, tends to increase with the plant's maturation (Prus, 2017). Despite this, the delta-9-THC concentration tends to vary.

3. How can the maturation of a marijuana plant can alter the concentration of delta-9-THC, cannabidiol, and cannabinol ?

With the maturation of the cannabis plant, comes a higher concentration of phytocannabinoids. All the same maturation of marijuana may have a different impact on cannabinol, cannabidiol, and delta-9-THC concentration levels. Marijuana contains dried cannabis stems, leaves and flowers rolled into a cigarette for smoking. Also known as pot, grass and weed, among others, matured marijuana plant tends to alter the concentration of delta-9-THC, cannabidiol, and cannabinol in more like a similar way. For instance, with the maturity of the marijuana plant comes an increase in the percentage of concentration of delta-9-THC, cannabidiol, and cannabinol. In a period of three months, i.e. from June to August, the concentration of delta-9-THC, cannabidiol, and cannabinol would have increased from 0.2-7.1; 0.1-1.0; and 0.1-0.7 respectively.

4. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between hashish, herbal marijuana alternatives/synthetic marijuana, herbal incense, and liquid incense/cannabinoid-enhanced electronic liquids?

Herbal marijuana alternatives/synthetic marijuana refers to a cannabinoid drug synthesized in a laboratory. Liquid incense/cannabinoid-enhanced electronic liquids refer to vapors which are usually emitted from the liquid of a synthetic cannabinoid using the e-cigarette. Herbal incense is the herbal marijuana alternative which involves herbs smoking or tobacco, which has been sprayed with synthetic cannabinoid. Hashish refers to resins which are compressed from a cannabis plant flowers and can vary in terms of quality, type and potency (Lautieri, 2020).

5. What is the difference between a direct recreation high experienced by the drug/substance user, when compared to contact high indirectly from the drug/substance user?

In most cases, the highly recognized way of using the cannabis drug is by inhalation, where users inhale the smoke of a lighted cannabis cigarette (joint) just like cigarettes are smoked. Herbal marijuana alternatives also incorporate inhaling as the most appropriate way users can use it. Also, vapors from liquid marijuana are usually inhaled; therefore, inhalation is the most commonly known ways of using cannabis. Its users usually inhale the smoke from joints or vapors from an e-cigarette and hold it for a while before releasing the remains in the air. Cannabis users are two just like cigarette smokers, i.e., secondhand/passive smokers and the active/original smokers. Secondhand smokers tend to inhale the smoke/fumes released into the air by active/original users. Just like an original smoker, the passive smoker will also be high only not that much when compared to the direct smoker from the air. All the same both cannabis smokers take it actively or passively

6. Please describe in detail the drug metabolism of marijuana from Figure 11.1.

Figure 11.1 shows two ways of cannabis metabolism after two types of cannabis administration into the body, i.e. oral and inhaled. Oral administration has to do with eating of cannabis drug through baked foods such as cookies (most common) among others. Administration through inhalation is where users directly smoke cannabis joints or vapors, among other ways of inhaling.

In the oral administration, cannabis is metabolized through three steps. First, after ingestion, the drug reaches the stomach and then to the intestines. Secondly, it travels to the liver, where the first-pass metabolism occurs. The first-pass metabolism significantly reduces the delta-9-THC that is later passed to the brain. Then finally, from the liver, the drug reaches the brain.

In the inhalation (smoking) administration, there are only two steps involved. First, after inhalation of the cannabis drug, the smoke or vapor gets into the lung. Then, the drug moves from the lungs directly to the brain in a full dose of the delta-9-THC.

7. What are the endocannabinods in the brain, and how do they work?

Endocannabinods refer to the "endogenous (derived internally) neurotransmitters" which are responsible for the activation of the cannabinoids receptors. Two endocannabinods, namely 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide, serve a crucial purpose as the "most biologically active neurotransmitters" for the cannabinoid receptors. None of them is stored in the storage vesicle. As much as there are other endocannabinods neurotransmitters, they tend to be less active—the endocannabinods neurotransmitter functions in the same way. Phospholipase D enzyme "converts N-arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE) into anandamide, which is released from the neurons immediately after synthesis. Anandamide return to a neuron via an anandamide transporter; thereafter the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) breaks anandamide down into inactive components. As much the same process happens with the 2-AG there are some differences in the breakdown. For instance, sn-1-diacylglycerol lipase enzyme is responsible for converting diacylglycerol, which contains 2-arachidonate to 2-AG. The enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase breaks down 2-AG into inactive components" (Prus, 2017).

8. Compare and contrast the distribution of the CB1 receptors in the brain of the rat in Fig. 11.4.

CB1 receptors appear to be occurring in abundance within the nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, basal ganglia, cerebral cortex, substantia nigra, and cerebellum. The thalamus, hypothalamus and the entire brainstem also have the presence of CB1 receptors. Also, there is the presence of the CB1 receptors within the eyes, which may potentially have a role in the cannabis-induced intraocular pressure reductions.

9. Explain the differences in all the compounds in Table 11.4 as they relate to binding affinity for the CB1 receptors in the brain.

• Delta-9-THC this the cannabis primary psychoactive component

• Cannabinol is a cannabis component

• Cannabidiol is a cannabis component. It has a binding affinity of about 2283 which the lowest concentration

• JWH-018 is CB1s synthetic receptor agonist which is abused as herbal marijuana alternative and used for research. This compound has the highest concentration due to its lower binding affinity of 1.22

• JWH-073 is similar to the JWH-018 only that this one has a higher binding affinity of 12.9, which is a lower concentration compared to the JWH-018.

• WIN55212-2 is a similar compound to both JHW-018 and JHW-073. This compound, unlike the JHW-018, has a slightly lower binding affinity of 2 thus a slightly higher concentration. Compared to the JHW-073, this compound has a much higher affinity.

• Anandamide is neurotransmitter for endocannabinods with a binding affinity of 30

• 2-AG like the anandamide neurotransmitter only that it has a lower binding affinity, unlike the anandamide.

10. Compare and contrast the known effect of cannabinoids on the brain (Fig. 11.5) with cannabinoid tolerance and dependence, and medical marijuana purposes.

Cannabinoids have a physiological and psychological effect on the brain. The brain has different parts, and therefore, cannabinoids have different effects on different parts of the brain. For instance, on the nucleus accumbens, hippocampus and ventral tegmental area, there is psychosis and the mood of an individual. At the basal ganglia, cerebellum and substantia nigra there can be inhibition of movement/motor coordination. At the cerebral cortex, spinal cord and thalamus, there is pain relief, also still at the cerebral cortex, and hippocampus there is cognitive disruption, and then there is the hypothalamus where there is an appetite

References

Andre, C. M., Hausman, J. F., & Guerriero, G. (2016). Cannabis sativa: The Plant of the Thousand and One Molecules. Frontiers in plant science, 7 (19). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00019

Lautieri, A. (2020, Mar. 12). What is the difference between marijuana and hashish? Sunrise House. https://sunrisehouse.com/quit-abusing-marijuana/hashish/

Prus, A. (2017). Psychedelic drugs. In Drugs and the neuroscience of behavior: an introduction to psychopharmacology . Pp 355-394. SAGE Publications, Inc