Anxiety and related disorders are the most common mental conditions affecting the North American population. Despite their established efficacy, first-line antidepressant treatments are associated with significant side effects, leading many afflicted individuals to seek alternative treatments. Cannabis is commonly viewed as a natural alternative for a variety of medical and mental health conditions. Currently, anxiety ranks among the top five medical symptoms for which North Americans report using medical marijuana. However, upon careful review of the extant treatment literature, the anxiolytic effects of cannabis in clinical populations are surprisingly not well-documented. The effects of cannabis on anxiety and mood symptoms have been examined in...

The present study evaluated the effects of the principal active component of marijuana (delta 9 THC) on motor abilities and motor learning in mice with cerebellar dysfunction. For this purpose, spontaneous locomotor activity, equilibrium abilities, muscular tone, motor coordination and motor learning were investigated in Lurcher mutant and non-mutant B6/CBA mice 20 min after i.p. administration of 4 or 8 mg kg−1 of delta 9 tetra hydro cannabinol (delta 9 THC). The performances were compared to those obtained by Lurcher and non-mutant mice injected with vehicle (Tween 80). The results showed that at the dose of 4 mg kg−1 but not at the dose...

Background: New Mexico was the first state to list post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a condition for the use of medical cannabis. There are no published studies, other than case reports, of the effects of cannabis on PTSD symptoms. The purpose of the study was to report and statistically analyze psychometric data on PTSD symptoms collected during 80 psychiatric evaluations of patients applying to the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program from 2009 to 2011. Methods: The Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS) was administered retrospectively and symptom scores were then collected and compared in a retrospective chart review of the first 80 patients...

Conditions have been worked out for a reliable estimation of the cataleptic activity of delta'-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) after oral administration to mice, using the ring test over a period of 6 h. By this method, the activity of cannabis herb and 5 crude fractions were measured against THC; at the same time the THC contents were determined chemically. The B/C ratio (biological activity divided by chemical assay) was calculated for each. With cannabis herb the value was 3.3 and with extracts prepared with ethanol or 70% ethanol the values ranged from 3.2 to 7.1, indicating that in all samples the activity was much higher than...

The mechanism of action of cannabidiol, one of the major constituents of cannabis, is not well understood but a noncompetitive interaction with mu opioid receptors has been suggested on the basis of saturation binding experiments. The aim of the present study was to examine whether cannabidiol is an allosteric modulator at this receptor, using kinetic binding studies, which are particularly sensitive for the measurement of allosteric interactions at G protein-coupled receptors. In addition, we studied whether such a mechanism also extends to the delta opioid receptor. For comparison, (-)-Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; another major constituent of cannabis) and rimonabant (a cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist) were...

Abstract Cannabinoids apparently act on inflammation through mechanisms different from those of agents such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). As a class, the cannabinoids are generally free from the adverse effects associated with NSAIDs. Their clinical development thus provides a new approach to treatment of diseases characterized by acute and chronic inflammation and fibrosis. A concise survey of the anti-inflammatory actions of the phytocannabinoids Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol, cannabichromene, and cannabinol is presented. Mention is also made of the noncannabinoid plant components and pyrolysis products, followed by a discussion of 3 synthetic preparations-Cesamet (nabilone; Meda Pharmaceuticals, Somerset, NJ, USA), Marinol (dronabinol; THC; AbbVie, Inc., North...

Background.—The use of cannabis, or marijuana, for medicinal purposes is deeply rooted though history, dating back to ancient times. It once held a prominent position in the history of medicine, recommended by many eminent physicians for numerous diseases, particularly headache and migraine. Through the decades, this plant has taken a fascinating journey from a legal and frequently prescribed status to illegal, driven by political and social factors rather than by science. However, with an abundance of growing support for its multitude of medicinal uses, the misguided stigma of cannabis is fading, and there has been a dramatic push for legalizing medicinal cannabis and research....

D9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (D9 -THC) is the major psychoactive component of marijuana and elicits pharmacological actions via cannabinoid receptors. Anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) are endogenous ligands for cannabinoid receptors, which because of their structural similarities to arachidonic acid (AA), AEA, and 2-AG could serve as substrates for lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases (COXs) that metabolize polyunsaturated fatty acids to potent bioactive molecules. In this study, we have compared the effects of D9 -THC, AEA, 2-AG, and another cannabinoid agonist, indomethacin morpholinylamide (IMMA), on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- induced NO, IL-6, and PGE2 release from J774 macrophages. D9 -THC, IMMA, and AEA diminish LPS-induced NO and IL-6 production in...

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in those diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. However, there is conflicting evidence as to whether marijuana may alleviate or exacerbate mood symptomatology. As bipolar disorder and marijuana use are individually associated with cognitive impairment, it also remains unclear whether there is an additive effect on cognition when bipolar patients use marijuana. The current study aimed to determine the impact of marijuana on mood in bipolar patients and to examine whether marijuana confers an additional negative impact on cognitive function. Twelve patients with bipolar disorder who smoke marijuana (MJBP), 18 bipolar patients who do not smoke (BP),...

Excitotoxicity is a paradigm used to explain the biochemical events in both acute neuronal damage and in slowly progressive, neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show in a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study that 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (9 -THC), the main active compound in marijuana, reduces neuronal injury in neonatal rats injected intracerebrally with the Na /K -ATPase inhibitor ouabain to elicit excitotoxicity. In the acute phase 9 -THC reduced the volume of cytotoxic edema by 22%. After 7 d, 36% less neuronal damage was observed in treated rats compared with control animals. Coadministration of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716 prevented the neuroprotective actions of 9...