Cannabis plants

A9-THC (2.1 in Fig. 2) is the only major psychoactive constituent of C. sativa. It is a pale yellow resinous oil and is sticky at room temperature. A9-THC is hpophihc and poorly soluble in water (3 p,g mL ), with a bitter taste but without smell. Furthermore it is sensitive to light and air [4]. Some more physical and chemical data on A9-THC are fisted in Table 1. Because of its two chiral centers at C-6a and C-lOa, four stereoisomers are known, but only (-)-trans-A9-THC is foimd in the Cannabis plant [5]. The absolute configuration of the... 

Cannabis is one of civiiization s oidest cuitivated nonfood plants, and does not seem to exist anymore in its wiid form (figure 10.1). In addition to its psychoactive effects, the cannabis plant has also been used for its fibers. Hemp fibers have been found in China dating from 4000 B.C.E., and hemp ropes were dated to 3000 B.C.E. in Turkestan, but it is not certain that cannabis was used for psychoactive purposes at those piaces and times (Schuites and Hofman 1992). 

Several products are derived from the cannabis plant (table 10.1). Hashish and charas are the dried resin exuded from the female flowers. These have the highest content of A9-tetrahydrocannabinol (TFIC) at 10-20% and have the most potent psychoactive effects. Ganja and sinsemilla are the dried tops of the female plants, which averages 5-8%. Marijuana and bhang are derived from the rest of the plant and have the lowest TFIC concentration (2-5%). 

There are approximately 400 chemicals in the cannabis plant, 61 of which are unique and may be called cannabinoids. The most common psychoactive cannabinoid is A9-tetrahydrocannabinol (A9-THC) (Robbers et al. 1996) (figure 10.4). Other psychoactive cannabinoids include A8-tetrahydrocannabinol (A8-THC), ll-hydroxy-A8-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-A9-THC), and 9-nor-9 j8-hydroxyhexahydrocannabinol p-... 

Dronabinol (46) and cannabidol (47) (Sativex GW Pharmaceuticals, 2005), as a mixture formulation named as Sativex (tradename), the world s first pharmaceutical prescription medicine derived from the cannabis plant Cannabis sativa The drug (a mixture of dronabinol (46) and... 

Rasmussen, K. E. and J. J. Herweijer. Examination of the cannabinoids in young cannabis plants. Pharm Weekl 1975 110 91. 

CS063 Rasmussen, K. E. Quantitative determination of heptacosane and nonacosane in Norwegian-grown cannabis plants. Medd Nor Farm Selsk 1975 37 128. 

In a related strategy, the dihydropiperidine skeleton of the macrocyclic alkaloid cannabisativine (208) (Fig. 1.6), isolated from the leaves and roots of the common cannabis plant, was prepared with regio- and stereoselectivity using an intramolecular allylsilane-nitrone cycloaddition reaction as a key step (260). 

Figure 5.1 THC, also known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive chemical in the cannabis plant Its chemical formula is C21H30O2.

A total of 82 countries explicitly reported the illicit cultivation of cannabis on their territory over the 1995-200 period. In addition, Member States identified 134 source countries for the production of cannabis. Moreover, 146 countries reported seizing cannabis plants over the 1995-2005 period, which is an indirect indicator for the existence of cannabis plant production in a country, as cannabis plants are usually not trafficked across borders (only the end-products are). Combining these data suggests that cannabis production is taking place in at least 172 countries and territories. 

Cannabis oil (hashish oil) is an oily mixture resulting from extraction or distillation of THC rich parts of the cannabis plant. It is less widely used, accounting for 0.01 per cent of all cannabis seizures in 2005. 

C 146 countries reporting the seizure of whole cannabis plants... 

There estimates were, inter alia, based on seizures of, on average, 1.1 million cannabis plants per year see Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Drug Situation in Canada in 2003, Ottawa, July 2004 see also National Drug Intelligence Centre, National Drug Threat Assessment 2005> Feb. 

Rawson, Jean M. Hemp for Industrial Uses. Washington, D.C. Congressional Research Service, 2000. Describes the industrial uses of hemp (the inactive part of the cannabis plant) and summarizes arguments for and against legalization of hemp production in the United States. 

Probably the oldest reference to the cannabis plant, in a pharmacy book from 2737 BCE, is related to its use as a medicine. The Chinese emperor Shen Nung (the Divine Farmer) referred to it as the liberator of sin and recommended it for the treatment of female weakness, gout, rheumatism, malaria, constipation, and absent mindedness. By 1000 BCE, its medicinal use, as indicated by available writings, had spread to India by 500 BCE, it was familiar to the ancient Greeks. 

Note The cannabis plant has been cultivated for centuries both for the production of hemp fiber and for its presumed medicinal and psychoactive properties. The smoke from burning cannabis contains many chemicals, including 61 different cannabinoids that have been identified. One of these, A9-tetrahydrocannabinol (A9-THC), produces most of the characteristic... 

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