This document provides information about cannabis (marijuana). It discusses the plant's history of medical use going back 5000 years, its active chemical THC, and the three main species. Methods of ingesting cannabis include smoking marijuana, eating bhang or using cannabis oils. The document outlines the plant's scientific classification and describes various forms such as ganja, charas, and hashish oil. It explains the endocannabinoid system and mechanisms of action in the brain and immune system. Both short-term and long-term health effects are summarized. Methods for analyzing cannabis are provided, and finally marketed cannabis products are listed.

1. Cannabis
A Drug of Abuse
Prepared By :
Sakshi Pakhide
B.Pharm
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2. Introduction :
⮚It is generic term used to denote several psychoactive preparations of the plant
cannabis sativa.
⮚Cannabis sativa is a fast growing annular plant of the family “cannabaceae”.
⮚This plant is also known as Hemp, although this term is often used to refer only to
varieties of cannabis cultivated for non drug use.
⮚Cannabis is an annual, dioecious, flowering herb. The leaves are palmately
compound or digitate, with serrated leaflets.
⮚The active chemical in cannabis is “tetrahydrocannabinol(THC)”.
⮚Species of Cannabis:
a) Cannabis indica
b) Cannabis Sativa
c) Cannabis ruderalis
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3. History :
⮚The medical use of cannabis plant goes back at least 5000 years to ancient China, where
the emperor Shen Nung listed in his classic pharmacopoeia.
⮚It is also listed in the medical works of India including the famous Hindu surgeon
Sushruta and the Roman physician Pliny and Galen.
⮚Most of the herbal guides of the Muslim and European cultures also gave frequent
reference to its medical value.
⮚Used by most of the world's cultures for its healing properties , there was tremendous
burst of medical research in the 19th century .
⮚Cannabis was listed in the medical texts of the last century as a treatment for over 100
different health conditions.
⮚Approximately 4 percent of the world’s adults – some 162 million people use cannabis
every year , making it world’s widely used illicit drug.
⮚About 2.3 million people are dependent on cannabis in India alone .
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4. Scientific classification :
Kingdom Plantae
Division Tracheophyta
Subdivision Spermatophyta
Class Magnoleopsida
Order Rosales
Family Cannabaceae
Genus Cannabis L.
Species Cannabis sativa L.
Subspecies Cannabis indica Lam.
Cannabis ruderalis Janisch
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5. Forms and modes of usage :
⮚Marijuana :
• Marijuana is the green ,brown or grey mix of the dried, crumbled parts from the
marijuana plant .
• The plant contains chemicals which act on your brain and can change your mood
or consciousness .
• There are different ways that people use marijuana including :
i. Rolling it up and smoking it like a cigarette or cigar
ii. Smoking it in a pipe
iii. Mixing it in a food and eating it
iv. Smoking oils from the plant (dabbing)
v. Using electronic vaporizers (vaping)
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6. ⮚Bhang :
• Dried mature leaves, twigs and fruiting shoots of male
and female plants.
• Least potent
• It is not used for smoking.
• Other names – sabji, satti, sidhi.
⮚Ganja :
• Ganja is commonly top leaves and unfertilized
flowering of young female plant.
• Leaves and unfertilized flowers are dried and used.
• Ganja has higher amount of narcotics than Bhang.
• Ganja is smoked in hand rolled cigarettes, pipe or
chillum or can be brewed as tea.
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7. ⮚Charas :
• Crude resin from leaves and flowering tops of
female plant.
• Appears as green to brown to black.
• Other names – Hashish, black Moroccan, sulpha,
nasha, kif, khit, red seal, red Lebanese.
• Smoked in pipe or by placing a bit of cigarette,
baked or eaten as hash cookies.
• THC content – 4% - 12%
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8. ⮚Hashish oil :
• Thick, Oily liquid extracted from hashish by
solvent extraction.
• Golden brown to black.
• Other names : Hash oil, red oil, honey oil.
• Smoked in bong or hookah or by putting a few
drops on cigarette or joint.
• THC content – 20%-60%.
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9. Chemistry :
• Cannabis is a complex plant with over 400 chemical
entities of which more than 60 of them are
“Cannabinoid compounds”.
• The major active principle in all cannabis products
is “Delta9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (or simply THC).
• Other includes –
• Cannabidiol (CBD)
• Cannabinol (CBN)
• Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)
• Cannabigerol (CBG)
• Cannabichromene (CBC)
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10. Mechanism of Action :
⮚Two specific cannabinoid receptors :
a) CB1
b) CB2
⮚Cannabinoid receptors are activated by three major groups of
ligands –
a) Endocannabinoids (produced by mammillary body)
b) Plant cannabinoids (e.g- tetrahydrocannabinol)
c) Synthetic cannabinoids (e.g- HU-210)
⮚The CB1 receptor expressed mainly in the Brain (central
nervous system) but also in the lungs, liver and kidneys
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11. • The CB2 receptors expressed mainly in the Immune system
and hematopoietic cells .
• CB1 receptors act through one mechanism in which they
function in Endocannabinoid-mediated depolarisation
induced suppression of inhibition, a very common form of
retrograde signalling.
• Endocannabinoids released from the depolarizes post-
synaptic neuron binds to CB1 receptor in the pre-synaptic
neuron and cause a reduction in GABA release due to limited
presynaptic calcium ions entry.
• The most likely cellular targets and executors of the CB2
receptor-mediated effects of the endocannabinoids or
synthetic agonist are the immune and immune-derived cells
(e.g- leukocytes, various populations of T and B
lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, mast
cells, kupffer cells of liver, astrocytes etc.)
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12. Long Term Effects :
⮚Brain and CNS :
• Dulls sensory and cognitive skills
• Impairs short term memory
• Alters motor coordination
• Reduced concentration
⮚Immune system :
• Impair the ability of fight off microbial and viral infection
⮚Cardiovascular system :
• Increased heart rate
• Decreased blood pressure
• Reduced oxygen carrying capacity of blood
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13. ⮚Respiratory system :
• Damages the lungs (50% more tar than tobacco)
• Increase risk of lung cancer and chronic bronchitis
• Obstructed airways
⮚Reproductive system :
❑In male :
• Decreased sperm production
• Reduced testosterone level
❑In female :
• Alters the normal ovulatory cycle
• May cause fetal abnormalities.
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14. Short Term Effects :
• Relaxation and loss of inhalation
• Increased appetite
• Affected perception of colour, sound and other sensations
• Impaired coordination
• Restlessness
• Feelings of excitement
• Hallucinations
• Dryness of mouth
• Anxiety or panic
• Affected thinking and memory confusion.
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15. Analysis :
⮚Colour/spot test :
❑Duquenois-Levine test :
• Solution A: 2% vanillin and 1% acetaldehyde in ethyl alcohol
• Solution B: concentrated HCL
• Solution C: chloroform
• Result : Purple colour
❑Fast blue B test :
• Solution A : Fast blue B salt and anhydrous sodium sulphate(1:40)
• Solution B : Chloroform
• Solution C : 1N aqueous NaOH solution.
• Result : Purple red colour
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16. ⮚TLC
⮚Instrumental Analysis :
• HPLC (High performance liquid chromatography)
• FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy)
• GCMS (Gas chromatography mass spectroscopy)
• H-NMR ( Proton-Nuclear magnetic resonance)
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17. Marketed products of cannabis:
• Cannabis oil
• Cannabis beauty and skin care products
• Cannabis beverages
• Cannabis chocolates
• Cannabis capsule
• Cannabis gummies
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18. THANK YOU
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