Just a plant - part 2

Is marijuana dangerous?

Trying to answer topic question - "Is marijuana dangerous?" - we should look at basic Cannabis chemistry.
Marijuana contains large number of chemical compounds and nearly all of them are used in medicine today.
We can divide them into:
* Cannabinoids
* Terpenoid essential oils
* flavonoids and phytosterols

Cannabinoids
Here we have very large number of compounds, but the most known are:
* THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), with boiling point at 157*C, known mainly for its euphoric effect.
It's used in medicine as very effective painkiller (analgesic), to reduce inflammation (antiinflammatory), to slow down aging and prevent from cancer (antioxidant), to stop/prevent vomitting and nausea (antiemetic). It's euphoric effect has some potential in psychotherapy (e.g. in treating depression).
There is some research trying to link THC and schizophrenia. Results are not clear, but chronic and heavy marijuana ("Skunk" strain) use by already schizophrenia-vulnerable people, shows some potential to trigger schizophrenia. Newest studies show no link between number of marijuana users and patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in UK (read more). Other studies show that THC can help in fighting schizophrenia (read more).

* CBD (cannabidiol), boiling point: 160-180*C.
It's has anxiolytic properties witch means that it can suppress panic and feelings like fear. Like THC it has analgesic, antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. CBD is antipsychotic - it is used to treat psychosis (like schizophrenia), severe bipolar disorder and many others. It can also stop spasm (antispasmodic; e.g. used in pain relief while child-birthing) and muscle relaxation.

* CBN (Cannabinol), boiling point: 185*C.
It has oxidation properties. CBN has antibiotic effects - it kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria. It has sedative effect on human brain (pleasant feeling, like after one beer).

* CBC (cannabichromene), boiling point: 220*C.
CBC has antiinflammatory and antibiotic properties. It is also anti-fungal.

* delta-8-THC (delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol), boiling point: 175-178*C.
It is less psychoactive than delta-9-THC and is more stable antiemetic.

* THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin), boiling point is nearly 220*C.
Like THC it is euphoriant and analgesic agent.
It's interesting that THCV blocks some effects of THC. THCV appears only in some of the Cannabis subspecies, mostly in strains from South Africa, Nigeria, Nepal.


Terpenoid essential oils:
* beta-myrcene, boiling point: 166-168*C.
It has analgesic, antiinflammatory, antibiotic properties. It is also antimutagenic, witch means, it reduces the rate of spontaneous mutations (or action of a mutagen).

* beta-caryophyllene, boiling point: 119*C.
It has antiinflammatory properties and also protects stomach from harmful chemicals (cytoprotective). It is also anti-malarial.

* d-limonene, boiling point: 177*C / 350.6 degree Fahrenheit
It is Immune System potentiator and has antidepressant and antimutagenic properties.

* others

Flavonoid and phytosterol components are: apigenin, quercetin, cannflavin A, beta-sitosterol and others. They have also many medical properties (way to many to write them here!).

Toxicity of Cannabis (not smoked!) is measured by toxicity of THC. Studies show that LD50 (dose killing half of the research subjects) of orally taken THC is 1270 mg/kg for male rats and 730 mg/kg for female rats and 42 mg/kg for inhalation. There were estimations, that LD50 dose for humans is 680 kg smoked in 15 minutes - and that is mission impossible ;)
There were 0 registered deaths from Cannabis. There were 0 registered lung cancers from smoking only Cannabis.

In a past few years, pharmaceutical companies have made some drugs from marijuana. Marinol is one of them - it is based on synthetic THC. After some studies it has become clear that in most cases taking synthetic THC has lower effects compared to using natural marijuana. So, not so long ago, company in Netherlands has produced drug "Bedrocan", witch is "just" all-natural, drayed flower of high quality, standardized Cannabis plant. It is available in 3 versions (for different health issues - there are different THC to CBD ratios). More on official website.

Today, we just start to rediscover Cannabis potential, because it has been erased from our heads by prohibition and some other unfair moves from pharmaceutical lobby (but also from paper production related tree-cutters). We forget about history of medical marijuana, so it's time for update:
First known usage of Cannabis in history was 2700 BC in China. It was prescribed for beri-beri, constipation, gout, malaria, rheumatism, absent-mindedness and for relief from menstruation pains. Analysis on recently found ancient Cannabis is here.
Some time later, in 1860 the Committee on Cannabis Indica of the Ohio State Medical Society reports that Cannabis successfully treated neuralgic pain, dysmenorrhea, uterine hemorrhage, hysteria, delirium tremens, mania, palsy, whooping cough, infantile convulsions, asthma, gonorrhea, nervous rheumatism, chronic bronchitis, muscular spasms, tetanus, epilepsy and stimulate appetite. In fact, Cannabis is the most potent, natural appetite stimulator on Earth (effect known as "munchies" or "pacman").
In 1893 India Hemp Commission reports that Cannabis can be used as an analgesic, a restorer of energy, a hemostat, an ecbolic, and an anti-diarrhetic. Report shows that Cannabis can also help treating hay fever, cholera, dysentery, gonorrhea, diabetes, impotence, urinary incontinence, testicular swelling, granulation of open sores, and chronic ulcers and can prevent insomnia, relief of anxiety, protect against cholera and is good as an aid to concentration.
In 1941 Cannabis was officially removed from the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. From this point it has no official medical value to the "civilized" world.
There are some new discoveries on subject. Some research shows that "Cannabis inhibits cue-induced heroin seeking and normalizes discrete mesolimbic neuronal disturbances" (read more).
Recently, we see some changes in this sick politic and some places decriminalized or legalized marijuana. For example, in Canada you can go to doctor and he chooses the best, witch should mean the most powerful and safest, medicine for you, it can be marijuana. Then you get your Medical Marijuana license and you are ready to go. The best source for Cannabis are medical marijuana dispensaries. You can buy there the best quality buds (flowers), extracts, cakes, drops, pills, oils, creams and other products of Cannabis. Sometimes you can buy there seeds or clones from "mother" plants and grow your own plant. Clones are easier in maintenance and give buds faster than growing from seed. You can be 100% sure about properties of your clone, because it is 100% copy of its "mother". You can make new clones from your clone.
Today in many countries and in 13 US states, official medicine recognize Cannabis as treatment or help for: Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Chronic Pain, diabetes mellitus, dystonia, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, gliomas, Hepatitis C, HIV, hypertension, incontinence, methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), multiple sclerosis (MS), osteoporosis, pruritus, rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, Tourette's syndrome.
New studies on medical Cannabis potential and harms linked to it are available on Internet here.
Read more here and here.

Now a little break for video on Cannabis and Multiple-Sclerosis:




And another example:



But when we talk about using Cannabis plant, we can't ignore medical side of the Cannabis seeds. They are no psychoactive, but have other amazing attributes.
Cannabis seeds, called hemp seeds, are the highest of any plant in essential fatty acids (responsible for Immune System response). They also contains some other useful stuff like amino acids.
You can eat them as any other seed or nut (e.g. add some to sandwich). They have nice taste. But if you don't like eating seeds, there are pills with hemp seed oil, and hemp seed oil itself.
There are also available skin related medications and skin-care and nail-care cosmetics from hemp seeds.
You can't get high on Cannabis seeds so they (and all goods made from them) are legal in Poland.
For more info about seeds topic look here.

There is some newsflash about using hemp seeds:


Now, when we know some info about Cannabis itself, lets see how we can consume it in the most effective and safest way.
In case of taking Cannabis flowers, in countries when medicine respect Cannabis, doctors inform people about harms related to smoking. They advice them to use vaporizers or to take it orally (e.g. baked in cakes or dissolved in beverage).
Vaporisation is called "smoking without combustion" because active compounds are extracted from plant material by hot air (180-230*C), without burning. It is the best alternative to smoking. It delivers equal or higher level of cannabinoids than smoking but unlike smoking do not emit harmful, carcinogenic substances (results of combustion while smoking). It should be noted that users can distinguish and tell the subtle difference between effects from smoked and vaporised Cannabis. Vaporised marijuana starts working (like when smoked) after nearly 10 seconds.

Video on using Volcano vaporizer:


When talking about eating Cannabis we should know what compounds from Cannabis we need. This will determine possible ways of ingestion. THC dissolve in fat and alcohol, it do not dissolve in water.
When we don't need psychoactive THC, we can make Cannabis tea.
When THC is needed we can dissolve Cannabis in milk and drink it with honey, coffee or anything else :) We can also dissolve it in butter add some garlic and make delicious Garlic-CannaButter. All these ways of oral ingestion have one common issue - they start working slow - first effects appear after 30-60 minutes. All of them has one common plus - effects stay for longer time than inhalation, it's about 4-8 hours (varies from strain and quantity taken). Slow start issue can be reduced by dissolving Cannabis in alcohol like vodka (more % is better) and drinking it (mixing with other drinks isn't forbidden, but alcohol itself is harmful).

Cooking with Cannabis video:


How to make a Cannabis tincture video:


Smoking is most popular way of ingesting marijuana today. It is fast, gives unique feeling and medical effects come very fast - nearly after 10 seconds. Big minus related to this method is creation of harmful and carcinogenic tars and combustion by-products. Nevertheless, there were no record of cancer induced by smoking marijuana. Some research linked this fact to anti-carcinogenic effects of Cannabis - probably THC starts "programmed death" of cells witch potentially will be transformed into cancer. This is normal, natural occurring mechanism, witch ends lives of nearly all our old-enough cells.
When using Cannabis flowers (leafs and stems are also ok), shelled hemp seeds or hemp seed oil to treat skin disease, we can melt them into hand cream. Such cream can be put directly on sick places. For example, cream from flowers can be used to healing injuries or killing rheumatic pains.

Some info about marijuana and killing/causing cancer:


Great (and long) documentary about medical use of Cannabis, available free at YouTube.


For the end, I have question for you: do think legalizing Cannabis for medical use is good idea? How about recreational use?