Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs,alt.drugs,alt.drugs.pot,alt.hemp
From: [an 169153] at [anon.penet.fi]
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 11:52:31 UTC
Subject: Marijuana Chemistry 3-10-95



From Chapter 1:

"Cannabinoids are the compounds with 21 carbon atoms;
they and their carboxylic acids, analogs and transformation
products are some of the chemical components of marijuana. ...
The acids are not biologically active,
but this is only important if marijuana is eaten or injected, since
smoking decarboxylates them. Most marijuana seems to contain
largely or exclusively the "A" form of the acids (shown in figure
2), but variants have been observed which have some of the "B"
form. One Indian variant contained ten times as much "A" as
"B" and one hashish sample had very little "A." These positional
isomers have not been investigated much and their significance
is unknown."  p. 5

[transmitters note: The THC molecule diagram on page 9
shows all 21 carbon atoms with their attached hydrogen.]

"... THC, CBD (the biosynthetic precursor to THC) and CBN
(the immediate degradation product of THC). ...
For THC, it was found that 20 mcg per kilogram of
body weight was the average minimum amount perceived
to induce a high, while 50 mcg per kilogram was the average
maximum amount desired. For CBN these figures were 200
and 270 mcg per kilogram respectively, while for CBD, ho high
was reported even at 270 mcg per kilogram. However, recent
studies show that CBD, while having no direct effect by itself,
can have a significant interaction with THC." p. 6

"If THC is the only psychoactive component,
one should get high in proportion to the percentage of
THC ... However, the fact is that different samples produce
a qualitatively different type of high and that heavy THC
content (as in many samples of hashish) does not guarantee
a good high." p. 10

"... the CBD content of marijuana and hashish should be as low
as possible in order to get a good high ...
The effects of CBD on the THC high need further investigation,
however. It is possible that when present in large amounts,
CBD is involved in some of the interesting and pleasurable aspects
of the high." p. 10

"... subjects reported that joints containing
CBD with THC were more pleasant than with THC alone. The
CBD attenuated the high enough to rid them of anxiety and the
jitters." p. 11

MARIJUANA CHEMISTRY
ISBN: 0-914171-39-9
Copyright 1977 and 1990 by Michael Starks
Ronin Publishing, Inc.
Post Office Box 1035
Berkeley, CA 94701





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