Cannabis is a term that refers to marijuana, hashish and other drugs made from the same plant. All forms of cannabis are mind altering, psychoactive drugs; they all contain THC delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active chemical in cannabis.
Mechanism of action and neurotransmitter, although there was plenty of evidence, that cannabinoids worked at receptor site, yet what receptor sites they worked never been identified. Also cannabinoids had many effects in common with general anesthetics, cannabinoids were highly lipid soluble and alter the fluidity of membrane CB1 canabinoid receptors are concentrated primarily in the cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, and basal ganglia but occur also in the hypothalamus, brain stem, and spinal cord. CB2 receptors are found in the spleen and the immune system. These receptors are structurally different from those found in the brain, and they seem to be associated with the effects of cannabinoids on immune functions. THC receptors, which exist in the brain tissue, lead to the discovery of a naturally occurring brain cannabinoid, anandamide.
The cannabinoids are distributed to all areas of the body because they are high lipid solubility. THC goes through lungs, the kidney, and liver. Only 1% enters the brain.
The metabolism is very slow the effect lasts only couple of hours yet it is still in the body. The liver metabolizes it and kidney gets rid off it.
Psychological effects; hallucination auditory and visual, paranoia.
Physical effects; short term memory user loses the ability to store information; bloodshot eyes, decreases the pressure in the eyeball, increases appetite and heart rate, increase blood pressure, hand, eye coordination decreases, attention decreases.
