PSY 374 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Synthetic Cannabinoids, Cannabinoid Receptor, Cannabis Sativa
Document Summary
Basic pharmacology of marijuana: mechanisms of action. In the 1930s, the us bureau of narcotics launched a public relations campaign to portray marijuana as a social menace that could destroy the youth of america. The propaganda included magazine articles and anti-marijuana films such as reefer madness. Marijuana remains a controversial subject in our society castigated by many as a gateway to the so- called hard drugs, but praised by others as an unappreciated medical marvel. Figure 14. 1 poster advertising the 1936 film reefer madness. Marijuana is produced from flowering hemp (cannabis sativa). Hemp has been a major source of fiber in many cultures for rope, cloth, and paper. Hemp seeds have been used for oil and bird food. Hemp also contains 70 unique compounds known as cannabinoids, plus more than 400 other identified compounds. The psychoactive compound 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (thc), accounts for the use of cannabis as a drug.
