Sai Muttavarapu

Period 5
Marijuana and the Brain Lecture

Notes
-Marijuana is the #1 drug use for people 12 or older

-Harry Anslinger was the first Commissioner of Narcotics

-Over the past year marijuana use had increased from 17.4 million to 18.1 million

-Marijuana has been placed as the 1st class drug. Class 1 drugs have a high potential
for abuse and have no currently accepted safety for use of the drug. There is a lack of
accepted safety for use of the drug.

-Marijuana consists of more than 60 cannabinoids.

- Burning vaporizes cannabinoids, which reach the brain in seconds. Oral

administration delivers less TCH, CBD, CBN, etc. more slowly.

-The faster the delivery, the greater the risk of dependency.

-CB1 receptors: Significant CNS expression in areas important for motor

coordination, pain, and memory nausea.

-Peripheral CB2 released opioid, which is a mechanism, used to reduce pain

- Anandamide, and 2-AG are not stored in vesicles.

- Cannabinoids activate mesolimbic/ mesocortical dopamine pathways.

- Ibrahim (2005,2010) found CB2 activity in the thymus mostly in the immune
system.

The more you take marijuana, the less pleasure you feel every time because the
receptors decrease. You develop tolerance when you take marijuana.

-The less pleasure you feel, you take more marijuana to reach the same amount to
feel that pleasure.

-Four stages:
 Buzz- dizziness, light headed
 High- euphoria, laughter-like-stage
 Stoned- calm, dreaming, relaxed
 Come down
-Co-administration of cannabinoids and opiates allow for pain relief with a lower
opiate dose.
-Increases appetite for marijuana use.

-Cannabis and alcohol both impair skills critical for driving.

-Deficits in verbal and spatial memory

-With increased cognitive demand, there is significantly reduced cognitive

performance.

-Differential effects on socialization.

Essay

This lecture was given on January 17 2013 from 6 to 8 and it was

informational lecture that talked about how marijuana affects a person. I learnt a lot
about chemicals that are involved in marijuana usage. Marijuana usage has been
getting more common between young people. The number of people that use it is
increasing rapidly. Marijuana has been classified as a class 1 drug which means that
marijuana has a high potential for abuse and has no currently accepted medical use.
There is no safety in using this drug.

Marijuana contains more than 60 cannabinoids. When you burn a cigar, it

vaporizes the cannabinoids and they can reach the brain in seconds. Its better to
take marijuana through oral administration because it delivers less TCH, CBD, CBN,
etc. more slowly and the slower the delivery the lower the risks of dependency.

CB1 receptors are involved in CNS expression in areas important for motor
coordination, pain, and memory nausea. Peripheral CB2 releases opioid, which is
then used to reduce pain. When cannabinoids reach the brain, they activate
mesolimbic/mesocortical dopamine pathways. Ibrahim first found CB2 activity
mostly in the immune system.

The intake of marijuana increases and increases every time someone takes it
because the more you take it, the less pleasure you feel every time because
receptors decrease and you develop tolerance when you take marijuana. There are
four stages in marijuana smoking. The stages are buzz, high, stoned, and come down.
In buzz, a person may feel dizziness and light headed, high is a laughter-like-stage,
and stoned is calm, dreaming, and relaxed. Marijuana use also increases appetite. It
also effects on your socialization.