“To examine the association between medical marijuana dispensary (MMD) availability and adolescent marijuana use.
The availability of MMD was not associated with current use of marijuana among adolescents.”
Tag Archives: marijuana
Endocannabinoid system: Role in depression, reward and pain control (Review).
“Depression and pain co-exist in almost 80% of patients and are associated with impaired health-related quality of life, often contributing to high mortality. However, the majority of patients who suffer from the comorbid depression and pain are not responsive to pharmacological treatments that address either pain or depression, making this comorbidity disorder a heavy burden on patients and society.
In ancient times, this depression-pain comorbidity was treated using extracts of the Cannabis sativa plant, known now as marijuana and the mode of action of Δ9‑tetrahydrocannabinol, the active cannabinoid ingredient of marijuana, has only recently become known, with the identification of cannabinoidreceptor type 1 (CB1) and CB2.
Subsequent investigations led to the identification of endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, which exert cannabinomimetic effects through the CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are located on presynaptic membranes in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues, respectively.
These endocannabinoids are produced from membrane lipids and are lipohilic molecules that are synthesized on demand and are eliminated rapidly after their usage by hydrolyzing enzymes.
Clinical studies revealed altered endocannabinoid signaling in patients with chronic pain.
Considerable evidence suggested the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in eliciting potent effects on neurotransmission, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory processes, which are known to be deranged in depression and chronic pain.
Several synthetic cannabinomimetic drugs are being developed to treat pain and depression. However, the precise mode of action of endocannabinoids on different targets in the body and whether their effects on pain and depression follow the same or different pathways, remains to be determined.”
Endocannabinoids: new targets for drug development.
“The possible therapeutic use of marijuana s active principles, the cannabinoids, is currently being debated.
It is now known that these substances exert several of their pharmacological actions by activating specific cell membrane receptors, the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptor subtypes.
This knowledge led to the design of synthetic cannabinoid agonists and antagonists with high therapeutic potential.
The recent discovery of the endocannabinoids, i.e. endogenous metabolites capable of activating the cannabinoid receptors, and the understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to their biosynthesis and inactivation, opened a new era in research on the pharmaceutical applications of cannabinoids.
Ongoing studies on the pathological and physiological conditions regulating the tissue levels of endocannabinoids, and on the pharmacological activity of these compounds and their derivatives, may provide a lead for the development of new drugs for the treatment of nervous and immune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, pain, inflammation and cancer.
These studies are reviewed in this article with special emphasis on the chemical features that determine the interaction of endocannabinoids with the proteins mediating their activity and degradation.”
Cannabinoids biology: the search for new therapeutic targets.
“Cannabinoids, in the form of marijuana plant extracts, have been used for thousands of years for a wide variety of medical conditions, ranging from general malaise and mood disorders to more specific ailments, such as pain, nausea, and muscle spasms.
The discovery of tetrahydrocannabinol, the active principal in marijuana, and the identification and cloning of two cannabinoid receptors (i.e., CB1 and CB2) has subsequently led to biomedical appreciation for a family of endocannabinoid lipid transmitters.
The biosynthesis and catabolism of the endocannabinoids and growing knowledge of their broad physiological roles are providing insight into potentially novel therapeutic targets.
Compounds directed at one or more of these targets may allow for cannabinoid-based therapeutics with limited side effects and abuse liability.”
Cannabinoid system in the skin – a possible target for future therapies in dermatology.
“Cannabinoids and their derivatives are group of more than 60 biologically active chemical agents, which have been used in natural medicine for centuries.
The major agent of exogenous cannabinoids is Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC), natural psychoactive ingredient of marijuana.
Recent discoveries of endogenous cannabinoids (e.g. arachidonoylethanolamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol or palmithyloethanolamide) and their receptors initiated discussion on the role of cannabinoid system in physiological conditions as well as in various diseases.
Based on the current knowledge, it could be stated that cannabinoids are important mediators in the skin, however their role have not been well elucidated yet.
In our review, we summarized the current knowledge about the significant role of the cannabinoid system in the cutaneous physiology and pathology, pointing out possible future therapeutic targets.”
Immunoactive cannabinoids: Therapeutic prospects for marijuana constituents
“Marijuana, the common name for Cannabis sativa, is a widely distributed hemp plant whose dried flowering tops and leaves have been used for medicinal purposes for 12,000 years by some estimates.
The article by Malfaitet al. in this issue of PNAS is relevant to the question of whether such traditional uses of marijuana could be clinically justifiable today.
It is conceivable that marijuana contains a series of cannabinoids that, in the aggregate, could alleviate arthritis as implied in the present report, yet remain well tolerated.
Remarkably, the claim that marijuana does so also was made 4,000 years ago by the Chinese emperor Shen-nung whose pharmacobotanical compendium, the Pen-ts’ao Ching, concluded that cannabis “undoes rheumatism””
Delayed treatment with cannabidiol has a cerebroprotective action via a cannabinoid receptor-independent myeloperoxidase-inhibiting mechanism.
“We examined the neuroprotective mechanism of cannabidiol, non-psychoactive component of marijuana, on the infarction in a 4 h mouse middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion model in comparison with Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC).
Both pre- and post-ischemic treatment with cannabidiol resulted in potent and long-lasting neuroprotection, whereas only pre-ischemic treatment with Delta(9)-THC reduced the infarction.
Unlike Delta(9)-THC, cannabidiol did not affect the excess release of glutamate in the cortex after occlusion.
Cannabidiol suppressed the decrease in cerebral blood flow by the failure of cerebral microcirculation after reperfusion and inhibited MPO activity in neutrophils.
Furthermore, the number of MPO-immunopositive cells was reduced in the ipsilateral hemisphere in cannabidiol-treated group.
Cannabidiol provides potent and long-lasting neuroprotection through an anti-inflammatory CB(1) receptor-independent mechanism, suggesting that cannabidiol will have a palliative action and open new therapeutic possibilities for treating cerebrovascular disorders.”
Cannabidiol prevents a post-ischemic injury progressively induced by cerebral ischemia via a high-mobility group box1-inhibiting mechanism.
“We examined the cerebroprotective mechanism of cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive component of marijuana, against infarction in a 4-h mouse middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion model.
Cannabidiol was intraperitoneally administrated immediately before and 3h after cerebral ischemia.
Cannabidiol significantly prevented infarction and MPO activity at 20h after reperfusion.
Cannabidiol inhibited the MPO-positive cells expressing HMGB1 and also decreased the expression level of HMGB1 in plasma.
In addition, cannabidiol decreased the number of Iba1- and GFAP-positive cells at 3 days after cerebral ischemia.
Moreover, cannabidiol improved neurological score and motor coordination on the rota-rod test.
Our results suggest that cannabidiol inhibits monocyte/macropharge expressing HMGB1 followed by preventing glial activation and neurological impairment induced by cerebral ischemia.
Cannabidiol will open new therapeutic possibilities for post-ischemic injury via HMGB1-inhibiting mechanism.”
The cannabinoids: therapeutic potentials.
“A review of the therapeutic potentials of the cannabinoids is presented. With respect to the antifertility aspects of cannabinoids, 2 mg delta 9-THC suppressed luteinizing hormone secretion in rats and 2 and 3 mg/kg resulted in a deterioation of male sexual performance. A new chapter in marijuana research was opened in 1964 with the identification of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol as the active ingredient. Antiedema, analgesic, antipyretic, antiinflammatory, antifertility, antiepileptic, anticonvulsant, antihypertensive, cardiotonic, pulmonary, and antidepressant effects along with potentiation of barbiturates and analgesics are reviewed leading one to the conclusion that marijuana is “a drug for all reasons”. During the past decade many investigators have pursued the possibility of modification of the delta 9 structure to delineate activities. 1 compound, Abbott 40656, SP106, a water-soluble benzopyran derivative is presently under Phase 1 clinical evaluation as a sedative-hypnotic.”
Study: Non-Psychoactive Cannabis Could Treat OCD
“A non-psychoactive chemical in marijuana may be able to control symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to new research out of Brazil.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the major compounds found in marijuana, but lacks the high caused by THC.
Previous studies suggest that it can be used to combat anxiety and other obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
While research has mostly involved simple animal models, a team led by Dr. Francisco Guimarães of the University of Sao Paulo’s School of Medicine decided to test cannabidiol in rats that were given mCPP – a drug that blocks the effects of traditional OCD treatments.
Interestingly, even at low doses, CBD was able to reverse the obsessive-compulsive behavior caused by mCPP. Published in the journal Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology, the authors conclude that the study adds support to “a possible anti-compulsive effect of CBD.””
http://www.leafscience.com/2013/10/22/study-non-psychoactive-cannabis-treat-ocd/