Smoking cannabis

Zara is eight and lives at home with her two brothers and her mother. Her elder brother is 14 and often smokes cannabis at home when his mother is out. He steals things from the local shops to sell at school to raise the money to buy his cannabis. Zara loves her brother and has read that smoking cannabis could make him very ill. She tried telling her brother to stop using cannabis and he got very angry and told her to mind her own business. 

Smoking cannabis causes a number of physical effects including increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, bloodshot eyes, increased appetite and mild dizziness. The effects are rapid in onset and start within a few minutes and may last several hours depending on how much is taken. When eaten the effects are slower in onset but then... 

Human newborns of mothers who smoke cannabis during pregnancy experience mild withdrawal symptoms and some autonomic disruption upon childbirth (Fried 1995a, 1995b). Although behavioral consequences are not apparent until 3 years of age, decrements in languange comprehension, sustained attention, memory, and behavior are related to in utero cannabis exposure. 

One of the major toxicity issues in cannabis consumption relates to the fact that it is most often smoked. Cannabis and tobacco smoke, apart from having different psychoactive constituents, are actually very similar in their composition (Hoffman et ai. 1975). Cannabis smoke is mutagenic, which gives it carcinogenic potential (Nahas and Latour 1992). Although no specific reports of lung cancer or emphysema from cannabis smoke exist, it is at least as harmful as tobacco smoke, containing three times as much tar and five times as much carbon monoxide (Wu et al. 1988). Cannabis smoke inflames the airways and reduces respiratory capacity. Airway obstruction and squamous metaplasias may also occur. 

Consroe P, Musty R, Rein J, Tillery W, Pertwee R. (1997). The perceived effects of smoked cannabis on patients with multiple sclerosis. Eur Neurol. 38(1) 44—48. 

In the past 25 years, anecdotal reports of beneficial effects in MS sufferers of smoking Cannabis (the herb or resin of Cannabis sativa L.) have resulted in a considerable amount of research and interest from academia, industry and government. Several products containing cannabis extracts or carefully standardized mixtures of constituents are in development with a number of clinical trials being carried out. In a few countries, products... 

Inflammatory effect. A case of a 17-year-old male regular cannabis user who developed a large swollen uvula (uvulitis) and partial upper airway obstruction after smoking cannabis was evaluated. Symptoms resolved with the administration of corticosteroids and antihistamines ". A healthy 17-year-old man who inhaled cannabis prior to general anesthesia is described. In the recovery room, after an... 

Sedative and stimulant effects. A doubleblind, placebo-controlled study assessed subjective effects of smoking cannabis with either a long or short breath-holding dura-... 

TFIC is usually consumed via smoking cannabis, but it can also be ingested orally. Cannabis intoxication is typically characterized by an initial period of euphoria, followed by a period of drowsiness or sedation. Impaired motor coordination, anxiety, a sensation of slowed time, impaired judgement, social withdrawal, conjunctival injection, increased appetite, dry mouth, and tachycardia are frequently observed during cannabis intoxication. Use of excessive amounts has been associated with development of panic attacks and paranoia. 

Paul was referred by his general practitioner to our clinic, at 29 years old with no previous contact. He was a successful businessman, and lived in a desirable residential area with his parents. He drank alcohol in moderation, and until recently his only drug use was smoking cannabis on a handful of occasions. 

Plasma samples were obtained from subjects after smoking cannabis samples containing 5-20 mg Al-THC or A6-THC. In another test, subjects were given oral doses of up to 50 mg Al-THC. Blood samples (10 ml) from smokers were collected as needed in heparinized tubes. Plasma (5 ml) obtained by centrifugation was stored in silanized glass tubes at -20°C until analysis. The plasma samples (1-4 ml) obtained from subjects given oral doses of Al-THC were frozen after centrifugation and stored at -20°C for four months before analysis. 

Although animal studies indicate transfer of A -THC into the milk, comparable research has not been done on humans. It is difficult to extrapolate from animal studies to humans. The only primates studied, squirrel monkeys, are known to metabolize A9-THC differently than humans. (15) In addition, lactating human mothers in the general population ingest both A9-THC and other cannabinoids (e.g., CBN, CBD) by smoking cannabis. Information is not currently available regarding either transfer of cannabinoids into the milk of lactating humans or the effects of maternal cannabis use on infant development. 

Only 3 of the 172 detention center samples contained THC-CRC and each inmate admitted subsequently to having smoked cannabis in the 48 hours prior to his arrival at the detention center. 

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