Cannabinoids Opiates

The specimens and survey data were collected from volunteers at the Pinellas County Jail. Twice a year 250-300 male and female arrestees were confidentially interviewed about their drug habits, and hair and urine specimens were collected at the booking stage of arrest. Data on 1245 arrestees have been published to date. Hair and urine samples were analyzed for cocaine, cannabinoids, opiates, amphetamines, and PCP. The sample is 71.5% Caucasian, 26.9% African-American, and 1.6% Hispanic or of other ethnic origin. 

N,0-bistrimethylsilylic acid (BSA) is commonly used to derivatize cannabinoids, opiates and cocaine analogs (ecognine, etc., cocaine shows good chromatography). 

Cannabinoids Opiates Barbiturates Amphetamines Benzodiazepins Others... 

Boleda MR, Galceran MT, Ventura F (2007) Trace determination of cannabinoids and opiates in wastewater and surface waters by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 1175 38 8... 

Ledent C, Valverde L, Cossu G, et al Unresponsiveness to cannabinoids and reduced addictive effects of opiates in CBl receptor knockout mice. Science 283 401-404, 1999... 

Inhalation (IH) The administration of volatile gases and vapours, followed by drug absorption in the lungs or nasal mucosa. Examples include general anaesthetics like nitrous oxide, nicotine from the tar droplets in tobacco smoke, cannabinoids from cannabis leaf smoke and various opiates from burning opium resin. 

If opiates are such addictive and potentially lethal compounds, why does the body respond to them As with the cannabinoids (Chapter 7), it has been discovered that the body and brain possess numerous opiate-specific receptor sites. As many as nine receptor subtypes have been identified, with three of them being the most important p (mu), k (kappa) and 8 (delta). The finding that the distribution of opiate receptors did not parallel the distribution of any known neurotransmitter prompted the search for and identification of a number of endogenous compounds specific to these receptors. These enkephalins and endorphins are manufactured within the brain and other body systems (especially the gut and intestines) and form the body s natural response to pain. They appear to be produced in bulk chains of amino acids called polypeptides , with each active neurotransmitter being composed of around five amino acid molecules. These active neurotransmitters are subsequently cleaved from the larger polypeptides at times of demand for example, it has been demonstrated that the plasma levels of these active compounds rise during childbirth, traumatic incidents and vigorous physical exercise. 

Boleda MR, Galceran MT, Ventura F (2009) Monitoring of opiates, cannabinoids and then-metabolites in wastewater, surface water and finished water in Catalonia, Spain. Water Res 43 1126-1136... 

Abuse potential Some patients may use these agents for mood elevations or psychedelic experiences. Cannabinoids, barbiturates, opiates, and alcohol may have additive effects with anticholinergics. 

Analogous to the discovery of the endogenous opiates and opiate receptors, the discovery of cannabinoid receptors in 1988 suggested the presence of endogenous cannabimimetic compounds. In 1992 anandamine—the ethanolamide of arachidonic acid was purified from porcine brain and shown to behave... 

M. Simpson. Mortality within the first 2 years in infants exposed to cocaine, opiate, or cannabinoid during gestation. Pediatrics 1997 100(1) 79-83. 

Analogous to the discovery of endogenous opiates, isolation of cannabinoid receptors provided the appropriate tool to isolate an endogenous cannabimimetic eicosanoid, anandamide, from porcine... 

Children of women addicted to opiates, cannabinoids or alcohol or chronically treated with benzodiazepines during pregnancy are often born with withdrawal symptoms, and/or show retarded behavior and various other abnormalities when growing up. Therefore, relatively extensive research has been performed in this field. Animal studies have shown that behavioral abnormalities found in laboratory animals treated prenatally with these substances extended well into adulthood (ref. 8). For instance, children... 

Cannabinoids may share at least some common neuronal mechanisms with opioid compounds. Studies of intracellular events associated with ligand binding to either cannabinoid or opiate receptors indicate that these receptors are linked via G proteins to the production of cAMP. Certain studies have also indicated that there may be some interaction between cannabinoid binding sites and opiate receptors in the reward pathway. In addition, there is increasing evidence that cannabinoids interact with opiate systems involved in the perception of pain. In fact, cannabinoids clearly produce analgesic effects in both experimental animals and humans, and of all the potential clinical uses of cannabinoids, the mediation of analgesia has received the most attention. Some evidence also indicates that the cannabinoid receptor system is an analgesic system. 

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