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It’s Not “Just Weed” Anymore
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry ( IF 6.8 ) Pub Date : 2024-08-15 , DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01854
Kristen Gilliland 1
Affiliation  

If you have recently walked down city streets in California, Colorado, Oregon, or most other U.S. states, you may notice a familiar odor wafting through the air─that skunk-like scent of cannabis. As of April 2024, over 70% of the U.S. has legalized recreational and/or medicinal use of cannabis. (1) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have currently requested that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reschedule marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. (2) The rescheduling of marijuana by the U.S. government implies that marijuana has accepted medicinal use and possesses a low likelihood for abuse. Currently, two FDA-approved cannabinoids from the cannabis plant (Figure 1), including one synthetic form, dronabinol 1 (sold under the brand names Marinol and Syndros), and one analog, nabilone 2 (sold under the brand name Cesamet), have been used to treat hyperemesis from cancer chemotherapy and anorexia and weight loss in AIDS patients. (3) Dronabinol is a generic name for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and it does not contain any other cannabidiols, such as 3, or any THC isomers, such as the commonly abused delta-8-THC 4. (3,4) Another FDA-approved cannabinoid, Epidiolex 3, a synthetic form of the non-psychoactive compound cannabidiol (CBD), has been used to treat pediatric seizures. (3) There are clearly health benefits of cannabinoids from the cannabis plant and their medicinal properties should further be investigated. However, to say marijuana has a low likelihood of abuse depends on the percent THC content in the cannabis products consumed. Since the mid-1990s, the average THC potency of the cannabis flower has increased from 4% to over 20% THC. (5) Cannabis concentrates, better known as shatter, budder, or dabs, can contain up to 95% THC. (6) Should these high potency products be classified as “marijuana”, or should we classify them as “THC”? Figure 1. Structures of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) 1 (also referred to as dronabinol and marketed as Marinol and Syndros), nabilone 2 (sold under brand name Cesamet), cannabidiol 3 (Epidiolex), and Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol 4 (delta-8-THC). From a monetary standpoint, the reassignment of marijuana benefits the cannabis industry by distancing state-regulated marijuana businesses from Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) federal tax code. (7) Section 280E penalizes traffickers of Schedule I or II substances by prohibiting marijuana businesses from taking ordinary business deductions, thus increasing their tax liabilities. (7) Even though some states have legalized the sale of marijuana, the trafficking of Schedule I or II substances still remains illegal under the federal CSA. (7) After the reclassification announcement was made, the stocks of cannabis companies surged in anticipation of approval. (8) The growing medicinal and recreational legalization of marijuana across the U.S. has sent the message that marijuana is safe and mostly healthy to use. The major push by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reschedule marijuana further reduces the perception of harm to society. However, what remains to be discussed is the dramatic increase in percent THC content of cannabis products. Current literature demonstrates this higher THC potency cannabis increases the risk of cannabis use disorder (cannabis addiction) and cannabis-induced psychosis, particularly during adolescence. (5,6,9,10) Cannabis is the most prominent drug used by teens─surpassing both alcohol and nicotine. (11) Adolescence is a critical period of brain refinement, especially in brain regions associated with reward, cognitive function, and emotionality. (5) Recent scientific and clinical studies have demonstrated an increased relationship between high THC potency cannabis use and psychiatric conditions during adolescence, including addiction, depression, anxiety, and psychosis. (5,9,10,12) Hjorthøj and co-workers’ recent studies suggest that 15% of Danish adolescent males may have avoided schizophrenia had they never developed cannabis use disorder. (13) In addition to psychosis, cases of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) have increased across emergency departments in Australia, Canada, and the U.S. (14−16) CHS is a condition causing chronic, severe, and painful vomiting that results from heavy use of cannabis products. (15) In Australia, medicinal cannabis was legalized in 2016. (16) Since that time, single-use cannabis clinics, where cannabis is prescribed via telehealth, have been growing in popularity. (16) In these clinics, the most common medical conditions for which cannabis is prescribed are insomnia and anxiety. (16) However, the doctors prescribing medicinal cannabis rarely contact the individual’s primary care physician regarding a diagnosis or prescription. (16) Since these clinics have erupted in Australia, there has been a significant increase in individuals admitted to hospitals with psychosis after using the prescribed medicinal cannabis. (16) Most patients suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis have demonstrated increased clinical severity in both positive and negative symptoms. (17) As a result, patients suffering with cannabis-induced psychosis experience longer hospitalization times and reduced medication adherence. (17) One FDA-approved atypical antipsychotic that has demonstrated promise in treating first-time cannabis-induced psychosis in youth is lurasidone. (17) The mechanism of action for lurasidone includes antagonism at D2 dopaminergic, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT7 receptors, as well as moderate partial agonism at 5-HT1A receptors and antagonism at α2C receptor subtypes. (17) Lurasidone’s absence of activity at histaminergic H1and muscarinic M1 receptors potentially results in less side effects common with other second-generation antipsychotics, including cognitive impairment, somnolence, and weight gain. (17) As stated previously, there are medical conditions that could undoubtedly benefit from cannabinoid treatments. However, with the growing marijuana legalization trend across the U.S., there must exist regulations pertaining to the concentration and percent of THC in cannabis products; moreover, there need to be regulations on the marketing of these products toward youth. After my own son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, most likely triggered by his use of legalized high potency THC cannabis in his late teens, it became evident that cannabis was not completely harmless. With society’s relaxed view of cannabis, it is imperative to focus on effective methods to educate youth on the impact of high THC potency cannabis use on the developing adolescent brain. This education must occur sooner rather than later─the mental health of future generations depends upon it. This article references 17 other publications. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.

中文翻译:


它不再是“只是杂草”



如果您最近走在加利福尼亚州、科罗拉多州、俄勒冈州或美国其他大多数州的城市街道上,您可能会注意到空气中飘荡着一种熟悉的气味——臭鼬般的大麻气味。截至 2024 年 4 月,美国超过 70% 的地区已将大麻的娱乐和/或药用合法化。 (1) 美国卫生与公共服务部 (HHS) 和司法部 (DOJ) 目前已请求缉毒局 (DEA) 将大麻从《管制物质法》(CSA) 附表 I 重新调整为附表 III。 (2)美国政府对大麻的重新管制意味着大麻已被接受药用并且滥用的可能性较低。目前,FDA 批准的两种来自大麻植物的大麻素(图 1),包括一种合成形式屈大麻酚1 (以 Marinol 和 Syndros 品牌销售)和一种类似物 nabilone 2 (以 Cesamet 品牌销售),用于治疗癌症化疗引起的呕吐以及艾滋病患者的厌食和体重减轻。 (3)屈大麻酚是Δ 9 -四氢大麻酚(THC)的通用名称,它不含有任何其他大麻二酚,例如3 ,或任何THC异构体,例如经常被滥用的δ-8-THC 4 。 (3,4) FDA 批准的另一种大麻素 Epidiolex 3是非精神活性化合物大麻二酚 (CBD) 的合成形式,已用于治疗小儿癫痫发作。 (3) 大麻植物中的大麻素具有明显的健康益处,其药用特性应进一步研究。然而,说大麻滥用的可能性较低取决于所消费的大麻产品中 THC 含量的百分比。 自 20 世纪 90 年代中期以来,大麻花的平均 THC 效力已从 4% 增加到 20% 以上。 (5) 大麻浓缩物(更广为人知的名称为 shatter、budder 或 dabs)的 THC 含量高达 95%。 (6)这些高效力产品应该归类为“大麻”,还是应该归类为“THC”?图 1. Δ 9 -四氢大麻酚 (THC) 1 (也称为屈大麻酚,以 Marinol 和 Syndros 销售)、大麻隆2 (以商品名 Cesamet 出售)、大麻二酚3 (Epidiolex) 和 Δ 8 -四氢大麻酚4的结构( δ-8-THC)。从货币角度来看,大麻的重新分配使国家监管的大麻企业远离国税局 (IRS) 联邦税法第 280E 条,从而有利于大麻行业。 (7) 第 280E 条通过禁止大麻企业进行普通业务扣除来惩罚附表一或二物质的贩运者,从而增加其纳税义务。 (7) 尽管一些州已将大麻销售合法化,但根据联邦 CSA,贩运附表 I 或 II 物质仍然是非法的。 (7)重分类公告发布后,大麻公司股票因预期获批而大涨。 (8) 美国各地大麻的药用和娱乐合法化不断增长,传递出这样的信息:大麻是安全的,而且使用起来大多是健康的。美国卫生与公共服务部 (HHS) 大力推动重新安排大麻的使用,进一步减少了对社会危害的看法。然而,仍有待讨论的是大麻产品中 THC 含量的急剧增加。 目前的文献表明,这种较高的 THC 效力大麻会增加大麻使用障碍(大麻成瘾)和大麻引起的精神病的风险,特别是在青春期。 (5,6,9,10) 大麻是青少年使用的最重要的毒品,超过了酒精和尼古丁。 (11)青春期是大脑完善的关键时期,特别是与奖赏、认知功能和情绪相关的大脑区域。 (5) 最近的科学和临床研究表明,使用高 THC 效力大麻与青春期精神疾病(包括成瘾、抑郁、焦虑和精神病)之间的关系日益密切。 (5,9,10,12) Hjorthøj 和同事最近的研究表明,15% 的丹麦青少年男性如果从未患上大麻使用障碍,可能可以避免精神分裂症。 (13) 除精神病外,澳大利亚、加拿大和美国急诊室的大麻剧吐综合征 (CHS) 病例有所增加 (14−16) CHS 是一种导致慢性、严重和疼痛性呕吐的疾病,由严重呕吐引起使用大麻产品。 (15) 在澳大利亚,药用大麻于 2016 年合法化。(16) 自那时起,通过远程医疗开具大麻处方的一次性大麻诊所越来越受欢迎。 (16) 在这些诊所中,使用大麻治疗的最常见疾病是失眠和焦虑。 (16) 然而,开药用大麻的医生很少就诊断或处方事宜联系个人的初级保健医生。 (16) 自从这些诊所在澳大利亚爆发以来,使用处方药用大麻后因精神病入院的人数显着增加。 (16) 大多数患有大麻引起的精神病的患者都表现出阳性和阴性症状的临床严重程度增加。 (17) 结果,患有大麻引起的精神病的患者住院时间更长,药物依从性降低。 (17) FDA 批准的一种非典型抗精神病药是鲁拉西酮,它在治疗青少年首次由大麻引起的精神病方面表现出良好的前景。 (17)鲁拉西酮的作用机制包括对D2多巴胺能受体、5-HT2A和5-HT7受体的拮抗作用,以及对5-HT1A受体的中度部分激动作用和对α2C受体亚型的拮抗作用。 (17) Lurasidone 对组胺能 H1 和毒蕈碱 M1 受体缺乏活性,可能会减少其他第二代抗精神病药常见的副作用,包括认知障碍、嗜睡和体重增加。 (17) 如前所述,某些健康状况无疑可以从大麻素治疗中受益。然而,随着美国大麻合法化趋势的不断发展,必须有关于大麻产品中THC浓度和百分比的法规;此外,需要对向年轻人推销这些产品进行监管。在我自己的儿子被诊断出患有精神分裂症(很可能是由于他在十几岁的时候使用合法的高效 THC 大麻引发的)之后,很明显大麻并不是完全无害的。由于社会对大麻的看法比较宽松,因此必须重点关注有效的方法来教育青少年了解高 THC 效力大麻的使用对青少年大脑发育的影响。这种教育必须宜早不宜迟——子孙后代的心理健康取决于它。 本文引用了其他 17 篇出版物。这篇文章尚未被其他出版物引用。
更新日期:2024-08-15
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