The American Journal of Bioethics
2016
Michael H Andreae, Evelyn Rhodes, Tyler Bourgoise et al.
We examine the ethical, social, and regulatory barriers that may hinder research on therapeutic potential of certain controversial controlled substances like marijuana, heroin, or ketamine. Hazards for individuals and society and potential adverse effects on communities may be good reasons for limiting access and justify careful monitoring of these substances. Overly strict regulations, fear of...
Journal of Medical Toxicology
December 1, 2015
Adebisi I Obafemi, Kurt Kleinschmidt, Collin Goto et al.
Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) are emerging designer drugs of abuse. Most reports on the health effects of these drugs are case reports. Unlike SCRAs, marijuana has classically been used via many routes of exposure including oral, such as in brownies. We report on 11 symptomatic patients who unknowingly ingested brownies laced with analytically confirmed SCRA and presented with...
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
August 1, 2015
Patricia E J Wiltshire, David L Hawksworth, Kevin J Edwards
18 citations
Light microscopical examination of plant and fungal remains in the post mortem gut may be capable of demonstrating the ingestion of unexpected natural psychotropic materials. This is demonstrated here in a case in which a 'shaman' was accused of causing the death of a young man. The deceased had participated in a ceremony which involved the drinking of ayahuasca in order to induce a...
Gene
July 17, 2015
Randall G Krug, Karl J Clark
The number of annual cannabinoid users exceeds 100,000,000 globally and an estimated 9% of these individuals will suffer from dependency. Although exogenous cannabinoids, like those contained in marijuana, are known to exert their effects by disrupting the endocannabinoid system, a dearth of knowledge exists about the potential toxicological consequences on public health. Conversely, the...
Behavioural Brain Research
July 15, 2015
R J Keeley, R J McDonald
Previous work has identified the adolescent period as particularly sensitive to the short- and long-term effects of marijuana and its main psychoactive component Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, other studies have identified certain backgrounds as more sensitive than others, including the sex of the individual or the strain of the rat used. Further, the effects of THC may be specific to...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
February 1, 2015
Hannah Steeds, Robin Carhart-Harris, James Stone
132 citations
Schizophrenia is a complex mental health disorder with positive, negative and cognitive symptom domains. Approximately one third of patients are resistant to currently available medication. New therapeutic targets and a better understanding of the basic biological processes that drive pathogenesis are needed in order to develop therapies that will improve quality of life for these patients....
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
December 28, 2014
Stephanie M. Gorka, Daniel A. Fitzgerald, Harriet de Wit et al.
43 citations
BACKGROUND: Δ(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol has been shown to modulate anxiety and facilitate the extinction of fear by inhibiting amygdala reactivity. Since functional coupling between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex is implicated in affective processes, it is possible that Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol affects amygdala-prefrontal cortex functional connectivity in ways that differ across amygdala...
Neuropharmacology
November 2014
Sylvina M Raver, Asaf Keller
Marijuana use in adolescence, but not adulthood, may permanently impair cognitive functioning and increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Cortical oscillations are patterns of neural network activity implicated in cognitive processing, and are abnormal in patients with schizophrenia. We have recently reported that cortical oscillations are suppressed in adult mice that were treated with...
Schizophrenia Research
October 2014
David W Volk, Stephen M Eggan, Andrew G Horti et al.
The deleterious effects of cannabis use in schizophrenia have been linked, in part, to underlying disturbances in endogenous cannabinoid signaling in the prefrontal cortex. However, while receptor autoradiography studies of the primary cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) have consistently found higher CB1R binding in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia, deficits in CB1R mRNA levels and protein...
Advances in Dual Diagnosis
August 12, 2014
Duccio Papanti, Laura Orsolini, Giulia Francesconi et al.
24 citations
Purpose – “Spice” products are synthetic cannabimimetics (SC; also called “synthetic cannabinoids”)-based designer drugs used as a legal alternative to cannabis for their very strong tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-like effects. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of more recent clinical and pharmacology/toxicology findings relating to SC and describe how they could impact on health,...