UNIVERSITY'S USED AND ABUSED: MARIJUANA

Few people would recognize 9-tetrahydrocannabinol without its
abbreviation as THC. Even as THC, for many it remains an esoteric
chemical substance - in fact it is the active molecule in marijuana
and it is this week's featured drug in University's Used and Abused.

Of the three drugs covered so far, caffeine, alcohol, and marijuana,
marijuana is by far the least common. Nonetheless, a full 16 percent
of the population between ages of 15 and 64 has used marijuana this
year. If you break that demographic down, the population between 15
and 24 has marijuana usage approach 30 percent annually. Of that
group, four percent use it daily. Despite the fact that it's illegal,
marijuana must have a lot going for it; no other illicit drug comes
even close to rivalling weed as the world's favourite flower.

Marijuana is cultivated from the dried mature flowers and the
pistillate leaves of the Cannabis sutiva plant. Only the female plants
produce THC and thus male plants are rarely cultivated. In nature, THC
is used by plants to ward off herbivores and pest insects. Among
humans, it's used for its psychotropic effects and several medical
indications.

The history of cannabis usage goes back several millennia; Vedic texts
from ancient India describe marijuana as "a gift to all the world"
from the god Shiva. Quasi-historical references mention a sect of
Muslims during the crusades that specialized in killing prominent
political figures and had a fondness for eating the trichomes of the
cannabis plant. Marco Polo made an obscure reference to the group,
calling them the hashashim (grass eaters); it has been postulated that
this is the origin of the word "assassin." As a plant native to
central Asia, it features prominently in the shamanistic traditions of
many peoples.

The pharmacology of THC is exceedingly complicated and has eluded
scientists for many years; for a drug that induces such psychedelic
experiences, no simple explanation would have sufficed. It is now
known that receptors in the brain bind cannabis chemicals
specifically. Called cannabinoid receptors, they are responsible for a
variety of physiological effects focussing on "stress relief." Anyone
who's ever experienced the mellow of marijuana will know from first
hand experience that this goes without saying. Physiologically,
cannabinoids are used to recover from the flight or flight response.

That there are receptors in the brain ready and waiting for THC to
bind means that there must be some natural hormone in the body that
THC is capable of mimicking. In fact, just such a chemical was
discovered in 1993. The first "endocannabinoid" was named anandamide
after the Sanskrit word for internal bliss, a fitting tribute to the
chemical's unique properties.

Because THC dissolves in fat, rather than water, very little of it
reaches the brain and what amount does make it to your grey matter
does so very slowly. This explains the long duration of marijuana's
high and is the reason why smoking is the most effective way to
administer marijuana as it can secrete through the mucous membranes of
your nasal or oral tract. Other methods of administering THC include
orally (i.e. eating it, preferably in a brownie), intravenously (in a
medical setting), or as a suppository (it may come as a surprise that
this particular method of administration has never found much support
within the cannabis culture).

Marijuana's subjective effects are varied and highly idiosyncratic.
What's more, the vast majority of THC's effects are entirely
psychological. In tests, subjects who are given brownies that have
been secretly laced with marijuana are often unaware of any subjective
change. Alternatively, subjects told they've eaten brownies laced with
marijuana, but in fact receive no THC whatsoever, report feeling high
and euphoric.

Subjective effects are well known to pop culture and include euphoria,
dreaminess, fits of laughter, bloodshot eyes due to the dilation of
blood vessels in the whites of the eyes, and a severe bout of the
"munchies" after about 3 hours. Many of these effects are medically
useful and advocates of medicinal marijuana point out that there is
strong evidence for marijuana's effectiveness in treating nausea
(medical marijuana for this function is sold under the trade name
Marinol), glaucoma, and spasticity. Marijuana's ability to create the
munchies is used in AIDS patients and those undergoing chemotherapy to
stimulate their lost appetite.

Marijuana's negative effects are disputed and in discussion about
them, scientific fact usually yields to ideology. Nonetheless, it is
the case that marijuana has been shown to interrupt sleep patterns,
reduce sensory perception (despite what users may say of their
heightened senses while high), and interfere with short-term memory
formation. Marijuana and driving is also a dangerous combination.
Marijuana does not necessarily reduce driving skills, rather it
reduces your attention as to what you should be reacting to, for
example a pedestrian or a red light. Finally, any smoked substance
carries with it the risk of lung cancer. Regardless of what you're
smoking, whether tobacco, weed, or raisins, the inhalation of burning
matter into your lungs is never a good thing. The temperature at the
end of a joint can reach up to 100 degrees Celsius and inhaling
burning leaf bits is a sure way to irritate the lungs and throat.

The last thing to consider with marijuana is that, despite its
prevalence, it is in fact illegal in Canada. Even the Netherlands,
known worldwide for their acceptance of marijuana, still lists
marijuana as a banned substance; they simply have made it a policy not
to enforce this law. There have been numerous attempts to change the
legal status of marijuana in Canada with mixed results (think: The
Marijuana Party of Canada) It is the case that the Government of
Canada is currently growing marijuana for use in the medical system.
Also, on a number of occasions, there have been changes to the
criminal code dealing with drug enforcement. Most recently, the
Liberal government of Canada introduced a bill that would have removed
simple possession from the criminal code. However, that bill died on
the order paper when the former government fell and the current
Conservative Government of Canada has taken its drug enforcement
policy in the opposite direction, vowing to enforce and strengthen
existing laws.

Ultimately, history has variously demonized and beautified marijuana;
it remains to be seen what the future holds for this colourful chemical.