Tetrahydrocannabinol THC

CHEMICAL NAME = delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol CAS NUMBER = 1972-08-3 MOLECULAR FORMULA = C H O, 

MELTING POINT = 80°C BOILING POINT = 200°C DENSITY = not reported 

Cannabis use by humans dates from prehistoric times. It was used as a food source, medicine, fuel source, for fiber, and as a recreational drug. Although it is not known how Cannabis was first used, fibers and seeds have been found in Neolithic archaeological sites. Pottery 

THC was first isolated from hashish in 1964 by Raphael Mechoulam (1930-) and Yehiel Gaoni at the Weizmann Institute. Mechoulam had obtained 5 kg hashish from Israeli police officials and the earliest scientific work on THC and cannabinoids used this source. In the early 1990s, the specific brain receptors affected by THC were identified. These receptors are activated by a cannabinoid neurotransmitter called arachidonylethanolamide, known as anandamide. Anandamide was named by Mechoulam using ananda, which is the Sanskrit word for ecstasy. Anandamide is thought to be associated with memory, pain, depression, and appetite. THC is able to attach to and activate anandamide receptors. These receptors are actually called THC receptors rather than anandamide receptors because researchers discovered that THC attaches to these receptors before anandamide was discovered. The areas of the brain with the most THC receptors are the cerebellum, the cerebral cortex, and the limbic system. This is why marijuana affects thinking, memory, sensory perception, and coordination. 

Medical marijuana remains a controversial topic, but synthetic THC, dronabinol, marketed under the trade name Marinol, has been available by prescription since 1986. The dronabinol analog nabilone is another THC prescription drug marketed under the name Cesamet. Marinol and Cesamet, taken as capsules, have Food Drug Administration approval as an antinausea agent and appetite stimulant (for AIDS patients), but they are also prescribed for depression and muscle spasms. In 2005, Canada was the first country to approve Sativex, a cannabis spray that relieves pain in people with multiple sclerosis. 

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