Hashish, abuse

Gold MS (1992). Marihuana and hashish. In G Winger, FG Hoffmann and JH Woods (eds), A Handbook of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. The Biological Aspects (pp. 117-131). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. 

The hemp plant, or cannabis (Cannabis saliva), continues to be the most frequently abused illicit substance in America. The dried leaves and flowering tops of the plant are referred to as marijuana, and it is typically smoked in pipes or rolled as cigarettes. It also may be consumed in baked goods. Hashish is a solid black resinous material obtained from the leaves of the plant and is usually smoked in a pipe. 

The resin secreted by Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa, varieties of hemp, is known variously as marijuana, hashish or bhang and is abused as a hallucinogenic drug. It appears however to have some beneficial properties and is currently under test as an antiemetic in cancer therapy. The secretion contains a number of interrelated oxygen heterocycles, some of which are shown in Scheme 281, which attempts to indicate their biosynthetic relationships (70MI22401). The cannabinoids are probably derived from a monoterpene unit based on p-menthane and 5-n-pentylresorcinol (olivetol), acting the part of a polyketide. 2,2-Dimethylchromene biosynthesis also requires the intervention of an isoprene fragment. 

Death from acute poisoning is extremely rare, and recovery has occurred after enormous doses. It has been observed in the East that the continued abuse of hashish sometimes leads to mania and dementia. 

Each year, the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, collects statistical data on five drug groups, including marijuana/hashish, psychotherapeutic drugs, cocaine/crack, hallucinogens, and inhalants. The med-... 

In looking at how inhalant abuse compares to other drug use, the MTF study found that among eighth graders, 9.1% reported they had used inhalant the previous year, while 41.9% used alcohol, 15.4% reported marijuana/hashish use and 12.2% used cigarettes. 

Nationally, the National Household Survey on Dmg Abuse (NHSDA) estimated in 1999 that a third of the American population (72 million people) have tried marijuana at least once, but only 8.6% had used it during the past year. Figures decline even further when respondents were asked about more frequent use Only about 5.1% (11.2 million) of the American population aged 12 and older were monthly marijuana or hashish users. This is roughly the same as in 1991, but less than half the rate of 13.2% reported in 1979. 

When opium is abused, it may be combined with other licit or illicit drugs. In these cases, opium may be mixed with tobacco or other vegetable matter for smoking, a mixture called madak (or madhak). An A-bomb is a marijuana cigarette that contains heroin or opium, while Buddha is a strong form of marijuana spiked with opium. Opium may also be mixed with hashish in a concoction called black Russian or black hash. 

There are five groups of dmgs that are commonly abused in the United States and in other developed countries. These are heroin, cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, and inhalants. Heroin is a Schedule I drug (see Chapter 1) that has no accepted medical use in the United States. Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system (see Chapter on CNS). Cannabis includes drugs such as marijuana and hashish. 

Hashish acts to depress the central nervous system and causes mental relaxation and euphoria that occurs within 15 minutes and lasts up to four hours. The drug abuser experiences a loss of inhibitions. The person s time and space perception is altered and causes a free flow of ideas to occur. These ideas, however, are disconnected. The person can experience blanks or gaps in memory similar... 

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