Friday, April 15, 2016
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Friday, January 18, 2013
CB1
The CB1 receptor was discovered in 1988 by, Allyn C. Howlett & her colleagues at St. Louis University. A short time & a lot of work later, studies conducted by Tamas F. Freund of the Institute of Experimental Medicine at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest & Kenneth P. Mackie of the University of Washington would pinpoint the CB1 receptors neuronal location. Both studies would reveal that the CB1 receptor occurred only on certain neurons & in very specific positions on those neurons. The CB1 receptors are densely packed on neurons that release GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which is the brain's inhibitory neurotransmitter (it tells recipient neurons to stop firing). The CB1 receptor also sits near the synapse, the contact point between two neurons.
“Conventional” neurotransmitters are water-soluble & are stored in high concentrations in little packets, or vesicles, as they wait to be released by a neuron. In contrast, endocannabinoids are fats & are not stored but rather are rapidly synthesized from components of the cell membrane. They are then released from places all over the cells when levels of calcium rise inside the neuron, or when certain G-protein-coupled receptors (CB1) are activated. This activity is what's known as a 'retorgrade' or backward signaling that before the early 1990s was known to occur only during the development of the nervous system. Endocannabinoids are the only neurotransmitters that engage in retrograde signaling, a form of intracellular (within the cell) communication that inhibits immune response, reduces inflammation, relaxes musculature, lowers blood pressure, dilates bronchial passages, & normalizes over stimulated nerves.
Before the early 1990s, science told us that signals in mature brains flowed across synapses in a one way only manner; from the presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell. Multiple studies conducted by various scientist in the early 1990s revealed the “new” kind of neuronal communication & dubbed the retrograding activity “depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition” or DSI. When DSI occurs endocanabinoid 2-AG travels from the postsynaptic cell to the presynaptic GABA-releasing cell, shutting off the neurotransmitter's release.
DSI is proven to be an important aspect of brain activity. Temporarily dampening inhibition enhances a form of learning called long-term potentiation, the process by which information is stored through the strengthening of synapses. DSI which is a short-lived local effect enables individual neurons to disconnect briefly from their neighbors & encode information.
CB2
Where the CB1 Receptor mediates psychoactive responses, the CB2 Receptor (discovered in 1993 by S. Munro) regulates immune responses. The CB2 Receptor is prevalent throughout the immune system the peripheral nervous system, in the stomach, spleen, liver, heart, kidneys, bones, blood vessels, lymph cells, endocrine glands & reproductive organs. Talk about a natural high...
Thursday, January 17, 2013
In part one this series I briefly introduced the molecular workings of cannabis through terpenes & the sense of smell. Now I will discuss the fact that humans make there own cannabis endogenously or within our bodies. Read further to see what I mean.
Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids or “antagonists (in the medical sense),” are molecules that activate one or both CB1/CB2 receptors. In other words, the canabinoids are message coded signals, in the form of molecules that carry a certain message for a specific receiver. Some Cannabinoids are produced through cannabis & are called photocannabinoids, while others are produced by our own bodies called endocannabinoids. A well known photocannabinoid, delta-9-tetrahhydrocannabinol or THC was first identified by Dr. Raphael Mechoulam at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem 1964.” THC can give signals of calm, anxiety, hunger, or even euphoria depending on the part of the brain/body most receptive to the signal.
Photocannabinoids
Studies have revealed more photocannabinoids as well. Cannabidiol or CBD which is the predominant cannabinoid in plants typically bred for fiber has been designated a Schedule I substance even though it has no known adverse effects or doesn't induce “euphoria.” The most dire effects of Cannabis, tachycardia (accelerated heartbeat), panic, confusion, anxiety, even psychosis, are affects of THC that CBD have been show to mitigate.
Endocannabinoids
In 1992, Dr. Mechoulam “discovered a small fatty acid produced in the brain, Arachidonic Acid Ethanolamine (AEA) an endocannadoid which he named anandamide after the Sanskrit word ananda, meaning bliss;” that binds to the CB1receptor & mimics all the activities of Cannabis. Another endocannabinoid would shortly be discovered by Daniele Piomelli & Nephi Stella of the University of California at Irvine named 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), which is even more abundant in certain brain regions than anandamide (AEA) is. We all have different congenital endocanabinoid levels & sensitivities.
Cannabinoid Receptors
Cannabinoid Receptors are small proteins embedded in the membranes of all cells, including neurons, & when specific molecules bind to them-fitting like one puzzle piece into another, changes in the cell occur. Cannabinoid Receptors function as subtle sensing devices, tiny vibrating scanners perpetually primed to pick up biochemical cues that flow through fluids surrounding each cell. Some receptors have water-filled spores or channels that permit chemical ions to pass into or out of the cell. Canabinoid Receptors are not channels, but are coupled to specialized proteins called G-proteins. These G-protein-coupled receptors represent a large family that set in motion a variety of biochemical signaling cascades within cells, often resulting in changes in ion channels.
One of the most abundant G-protein coupled receptor CB1 is located in the brain. It has its highest densities in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, basal ganglia, brain stem, spinal cord & amygdala. This distribution explains Cannabis' diverse effects. Its psychoactive power comes from its action in the cerebral cortex. Memory impairment is rooted in the hippocampus, a structure essential for memory formation. Motor dysfunction is cause by acting on movement control centers in the brain. In the brain stem & spinal cord, it brings about the reduction of pain; the brain stem also controls the vomiting reflex. The hypothalamus is involved in appetite, the amygdala in emotional responses.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Right now, Cannabis is federally recognized as an illegal substance. It is listed as a Schedule I substance which means that it has no medicinal value to humans. Although there are a few states & hundreds of people within the public that do recognize Cannabis as medicine Cannabis remains for the most part, an illegal substance. Yet & still, reports about how much revenue can be generated from the legalization of Cannabis sprout up seemly faster than the plant itself. The implications of a Medical Cannabis Industry are discussed by a multitude of people from various backgrounds, however the establishment of the industry, structure, stakeholders, & economic implications needs to be addressed so that the depth of the industry can emerge; revealing just how many people can be positively affected by Medical Cannabis regardless to if they themselves smoke the herb or not. This post briefly addresses the Medical Cannabis industry structure, industry stakeholders, and economic implications industry wide.
Structure of an Industry
Based on the structure in California, where you have individual cultivators & cooperative or co-op cultivators, the Medical Cannabis Industry should have 3 tiers or classes of cultivators; individual, co-op, & corporate cultivators. Each cultivator may produce Medical Cannabis but none can present their product to the public for consumption. This only is meant to be a potential outline of the industry for discussion.
Individual Cultivators
Individual cultivators would cultivate for “personal” use of Medical Cannabis. These do-it-yourselfers may in some cases take an alternative approach to their health like growing their own food, or maintaining a certain diet. As such, the people in this group would have the privilege to cultivate “outdoors” &/or “inside,” as long as they have a state, county, or city license/permit to do so. In this way, patients have a little more control of their health, & the civic agencies have a new revenue source.
Cooperative (Co-op) Cultivators
Co-op Cultivators would be responsible for cultivating, harvesting, dying/curing & having Medical Cannabis tested for their registered members, & then for Medical Cannabis retail facilities. People who for whatever reason could not or did not want to cultivate their own Medical Cannabis could register with a co-op. By signing over their cultivator rights to the co-op & ppaying a fee (i.e. monetary, voluntary, in-kind donations), members could then expect within a certain time frame & a certain amount of Medical Cannabis for their “personal” consumption. Co-ops would probably operate best under a not-for-profit/501c3 legal status. Co-ops could also cultivate for & transport to members & retail facilities but are limited to things like a geographical cap, weight restrictions, & other regulations.
Corporate Cultivators
Corporate Cultivators would cultivate for retail facilities (i.e. pharmacy, dispensary, etc.), for other manufactures of products utilizing Medical Cannabis as an ingredient, or for research purposes. Corporate Cultivators would be responsible cultivating, harvesting, dying/curing & having Medical Cannabis tested. Corporate Cultivators would not be limited to the same geographical cap that co-ops would. However, the logistics of distribution & retail would not be carried out by corporate cultivators but by brokers.
Distribution & Retail
Brokering Medical Cannabis, & maintaining logistical lines (communication, transporting, etc.) between corporate & some co-op brands would be the responsibility of “cannabrokers.” This allows Medical Cannabis retail facilities to focus on their clients/customers, & the cultivators to focus on product development. The facilities, pharmacies, dispensaries, centers would accommodate clients/customer according to need, some even allowing clients/customers to self-medicate on-site. Retail facilities could sell over-the-counter medicine (like headache, or heartburn meditation), or other complementary/alternative resources (like dietary supplements & functional foods) as well as provide information about health/medicine & a place to build peer relationships or discuss health-related issues in a friendly environment.
Retail facilities would have the responsibility of meeting the needs of customers/clients. Helping to define the market, retail facilities would establish industry best practices, collect feedback from customers, & engage in the research & development of new products/services, while distributing new information to stakeholders.
Stakeholders
There are various stakeholders within the Medical Cannabis Industry. The Medical Cannabis Industry benefits not only the Health Care Industry, but also would have an impact on;
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Accommodation & Food Service Industries- As health/nutrition is encouraged, specific diets for people with specific needs will emerge
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Agriculture Industry- As cannabis is a natural resource, the strain on other resources (natural or otherwise) would decrease
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Construction Industry- Cultivators, retail facilities etc. all have to be reconstructed or constructed from the ground-up
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Educational Services-As new information is formed into knowledge, people/professionals need to be educated in homes, learning institutions, & professional settings
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Information Industry- As data is turned into information, dissemination of the information to the people will need to happen
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Manufacturing Industry- Potential for new products is great & as they are researched/developed manufacturing of these products can begin
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Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services- When cannabis is legalized, bio-science in general becomes sexy, bringing in money for research projects
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Public Administration- The benefit here is in the new sources of revenue to operate the administration through taxes, permits, fees, etc.
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Retail Trade- New products, new services, new markets
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Real Estate Rental & Leasing- Most everything, from cultivating to customer service, & even spin-off ventures operate inside a building
- Transportation- “In-Door Cultivation” means that cannabis is produced/consumed all year, as such transport should happen all year
- Wholesale Trade- In this industry, wholesale trade would boom; from cultivation products (i.e. hydroponics industry) to finished product
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
This is Part 1 of a series about “How Cannabis Works?” In this series, I will discuss the working components of Cannabis terpenes, cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, photocannbinoids, cannabinoid receptors. What I hope is that you begin to see, based on how cannabis works overall, is how it may, or may not benefit you.
Terpenes
“A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet...William Shakespeare.” One of the first sensations a person may experience associated with Cannabis, is its aromatic properties. However, unlike the undeniably sweet smell of a summer blooming rose, Cannabis has many complex aromas. Some people may experience the leafy pungent smell Cannabis growing on the vine, or the mellow cured aroma of dried Cannabis, or even still, the heavy skunky smell of recently burned Cannabis. In whichever state the smell of Cannabis is experienced, it is its Terpenes medically hard at work in a way similar to aroma therapy. Terpenes-(C5H8) - are medicinal molecules and important building blocks in nature. Appropriately defined by Rev. Dr. Kymron de Cesare of Halent Laboratories; “Terpenes, the same chemical compounds that give flavor and odor to fruits, flowers, candies, and incense, are also essential elements in cannabis. They provide the tastes and aromas of the different strains, and most importantly, a wide variety of medical benefits too.”
These compounds are already found in a number of daily used products both edible & non-edible; for example -Delta3Carene- which is a sweet, pine, cedar, woodsy, pungent aroma. “It is a constituent of 
rosemary, pine and cedar resin. In aroma therapy, cypress oil, high in D-3-carene, is used to dry excess fluids, tears, running noses, excess menstrual flow and perspiration. It may contribute to the dry eye and mouth experienced by some marijuana users…”, or Caryophyllene - spicy, sweet, woody, clove, camphor, peppery. Found in black pepper (15-25%), clove (10-20%) and cotton (15-25%). It binds weakly to CB2 receptor. As a topical it is one of the constituents of clove oil, an anti-inflammatory and analgesic treatment for toothache. In high amounts, it’s a calcium and potassium ion channel blocker. As a result, it impedes the pressure exerted by heart muscles. Since THC does not have a smell, drug dogs are trained to find one, very smelly molecule called Caryophyllene-epoxide!
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