Legal status
The Czech Republic is among the countries with more liberal drug laws. THC is found in the same group as the most well-known psychedelics. Possession of a small amount of marijuana in the Czech Republic is only a misdemeanor punishable by a fine.In Slovakia, an individual can grow low-THC cannabis even without a permit. After a certain period, it seems that every type of cannabis has a higher THC content, and therefore it ceases to be legal. According to an EU law, which also applies in Slovakia, farmers, as far as I know, are allowed to grow industrial hemp (with low THC content) even to full maturity, more or less without a permit (perhaps just a notification is sufficient). Farmers are obliged to guard hemp fields (to prevent anyone from entering) during times when the cannabis has a higher THC content. In the Slovak Republic, it is possible to grow high-THC cannabis provided that one obtains a permit from the Ministry of Health.
In the Czech Republic, there is a strong movement to support the full legalization of cannabis. A magazine about cannabis is also published in the Czech language.
The university in Israel is the most involved in scientific research on cannabis.
In some countries, cannabis is also officially allowed for treatment, doctors can prescribe it, and local medical and pharmacological authorities have also issued specific indications. These are the Netherlands, Belgium, Israel, and some US states.
From a scientific point of view, it is not black or white with cannabis. Demonizing and praising cannabis are two extremes outside of reality. Radical proponents of cannabis say that cannabis is an absolute panacea for all diseases. This is certainly not true, but on the other hand, it must be recognized that cannabis is the most important and most spectacular medicinal plant that exists. It has an extremely wide range of medicinal uses. Cannabis is the clear record holder among medicinal plants. On the other hand, cannabis can trigger some diseases or cause suffering. Cannabis is probably the record holder among all psychoactive substances in inducing mental disorders (or their symptoms) such as depression and psychosis (schizophrenia). Paranoia and panic attacks, dissociation, depersonalization, and derealization are also common in recreational use. It should be noted that cannabis itself does not cause schizophrenia; the problem is only in those people who have a predisposition to it.
Psychedelic substances are incomparably safer than marijuana in terms of the risk of mental disorders. Marijuana is a GABA antagonist and a 5-HT (i.e., serotonin) antagonist, which means it is a substance that strongly induces depression. Depressive experiences with cannabis are the most common among all psychoactive substances, although positive experiences can also occur. Cannabis can often be a trigger for schizophrenia – also because THC is an NMDA antagonist (it may play a role there). Psychedelic substances cannot be compared with marijuana in terms of the risk of mental disorders; the risk is significantly lower.
Cumulativeness
THC has a special property of binding in the body for quite a long time and can accumulate in a certain way. This is probably due to the very low chemical solubility of THC in water, so it does not flush out of the body so quickly. Also, various drug detectors can detect the use of cannabis, I don't know if it's up to several months after the last use. For example, a certain person describes the effect of cannabis as follows: when he took cannabis for the first day, surprisingly nothing happened. The next day he took another dose of cannabis and experienced a real bang from it.Hospitalization in the psychiatric ward
THC has a very long-lasting effect. I heard about an old man who experienced intoxicating psychosis for 2-3 days, and then it returned to normal (they wanted to give him cannabis for medicinal purposes). Therefore, when diagnosing psychosis, one must be very careful not to unnecessarily prescribe psychiatric medication to the patient for the rest of their life. It is necessary to wait patiently for at least 5 days to see if the psychosis disappears on its own. Since THC is an antagonist of GABA and serotonin receptors, it would be reasonable to administer the serotonin precursor tryptophan and valproic acid to the patient during hospitalization (which can also be replaced by any sedative/benzodiazepine with the same effects). Scientific studies have shown that opioid blockers reduce the effects of THC. Therefore, the patient should be given naloxone or naloxonazine during hospitalization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrocannabinol#Interactions So, in the hospital, the patient should receive a total of 3 types of medication.Safety instructions
The most risky situation is with a person who is using cannabis for the first time. They should start with a very cautious dose and gradually increase the dose carefully. This is advised by people who are involved in cannabis treatment. Once the CNS gets used to THC, then it starts to be quite safe. Cannabis is not a highly addictive substance, but in those who have become addicted and take high doses of cannabis daily, some impairment of cognitive abilities can be observed. Since THC has cumulative properties, the addict is under the influence of THC 24 hours a day without a break. (But during smoking, the effects are, of course, particularly intense).Lumir Hanuš
Perhaps the most prominent personality in cannabis scientific research is the Czech chemist Lumir Hanuš, who is currently working in Israel. Cannabis, in addition to being a serotonin and GABA antagonist (more precisely, an antagonist of serotonin and GABA receptors), also acts on cannabinoid receptors. It has long been known that cannabinoid receptors exist, but Lumir Hanuš made a breakthrough discovery by identifying the neurotransmitter anandamide , which is bound to these receptors. In this TV show , he describes in detail how he discovered this substance and how they found out the molecular structure of this new unknown substance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lum%C3%ADr_Ond%C5%99ej_Hanu%C5%A1 http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1093836883-na-plovarne/212522160100025-na-plovarne-s-lumirem-hanusem/ A neurotransmitter substance (neurotransmitter) binds to each type of receptor. If I'm not mistaken, a neurotransmitter is also called an endogenous ligand. The most well-known neurotransmitters are serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, NMDA, and GABA. Opioid receptors are exceptional in that not just one substance, but about three substances bind to them.THC and CBD
The most important and best-known active substances of cannabis are THC and CBD. CBD is not a psychoactive substance. There are different types of cannabis that have both substances represented in different proportions. CBD blocks the psychoactive properties of THC . People who use cannabis for medicinal purposes seek out types that have approximately the same ratio of THC and CBD. This type of cannabis does not exhibit the psychoactive properties of THC. On the contrary, people who seek cannabis for recreational purposes want to have as much THC and as little CBD as possible in the given type of cannabis. Synthetic THC is the most dangerous in terms of inducing psychosis because it is without CBD. Synthetic cannabinoids are also associated with symptoms of epilepsy and heart attack because heart pressure fluctuates quite a lot, paranoia also increases heart pressure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_cannabis-Cannabis can be smoked through a bong or vaporizer . A vaporizer converts active ingredients into a gaseous state without air. This way, a person does not inhale any harmful tars or harmful chemicals that would be produced by normal combustion from a pipe and the like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bong https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporizer_(inhalation_device) https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporiz%C3%A9r -Cannabis can also be used as an entheogen, but with a corresponding risk – the potential for addiction is 9% of all cannabis experimenters, and with daily use, the potential for addiction is 10-20% -Cannabis has low toxicity, and it has not yet been proven that any person has died due to an overdose -Legal changes in the USA "Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_rescheduling_in_the_United_States
Cannabinoid receptors in general
– Cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) are found in the peripheral tissue of the brain, and CB2 mainly in glial cells. – In the hippocampus, cannabinoids reduce the release of acetylcholine, noradrenaline, and glutamate (which is related to NMDA receptors). – CBD is a 5-HT1A agonist, meaning that in this regard, it acts antagonistically to THC. – Breast milk contains substances that increase the activity of cannabinoid receptors. Breast milk thus plays an important role in immunity. Cannabinoid substances in breast milk increase appetite, which gives the child greater motivation and desire to drink milk from the mother's breasts. These substances include, for example, 2-Arachidonoylglycerol.Medical use:
Appetite
-Since cannabis is an antagonist of serotonin receptors, it increases appetite and, in the case of chemotherapy, prevents vomiting. However, this has a major disadvantage in overeating and obesity. Scientists have tried to explain that, in addition to serotonin receptors, cannabinoid receptors are also responsible for appetite. Whether their hypothesis is true is hard to say, because it is known that serotonin receptors are mainly responsible for appetite. Cannabis is suitable against vomiting due to chemotherapy, it is suitable for people with AIDS and cancer to have an appetite (loss of appetite is a very serious problem in these people). There are also synthetic (not natural) substances that are antagonists of cannabinoid receptors. The aim of scientists was to make a drug that suppresses appetite, a drug for weight loss. Apparently, these drugs are already used in clinical practice. -Cannabis with a high CBD content and a low THC content is good for the treatment of epilepsy. -Cannabis is a hypotensive in the context of long-term, not recreational, use. It is probably worth using it for hypertension itself. It is not suitable for people with low blood pressure. Cannabis also dilates blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure. CB1 receptors are also said to be found in the adrenal medulla, which secretes adrenaline , meaning that this can also play an important role in heart function and blood pressure. However, with occasional recreational doses and recreational use (with high THC and low CBD), an increase in blood pressure most often occurs (possibly also due to a strong exciting experience or paranoia). With recreational use, blood pressure can fluctuate and heart rate can change. This fluctuation of blood pressure can be perceived as a potential risk – it particularly effectively lowers intraocular pressure, it is suitable for glaucoma – lungs: tar is harmful when smoking. There is a risk of lung diseases and possibly lung cancer. Smoke is more harmful to the lungs than tobacco smoke. Lung cancer is not common because cannabis has anti-cancer effects – Cannabis is suitable for rheumatoid arthritis – cannabis has very good analgesic effects . Using cannabis as an analgesic is probably healthier and much more effective than existing pharmaceutical products/medicines. Also suitable for migraines – we don't have effective medicines for them at all – cannabis has particularly strong antioxidant effects (i.e. prevents cancer) – prevents the development of neurodegenerative diseases (neuroprotection) – CB2 receptors are closely related to immunity and the activity of white blood cells . Smoking cannabis is definitely healthier than taking antibiotics. And antibiotics don't work for many people anyway. Cannabis has a very strong anti-inflammatory effect . Cannabis can significantly prolong the life of people with AIDS and partially suppress the symptoms of this disease – CB2 receptors are also found around lymphatic vessels and therefore significantly affect immunity – CB2 receptors are related to nerve immune cells of the microglial type. Cannabis is therefore suitable for the treatment of infectious diseases that attack the CNS.Cancer
-The American Cancer Society has sharply criticized the ban on cannabis because it hinders scientific research into the effects of cannabis on cancer. -There is some research on animals that proves that cannabis can destroy cancer cells and strengthen healthy ones. -The use of cannabis seems to be particularly beneficial in the treatment of brain and breast cancer . -Cannabis is suitable for:-Critics say that there is not enough evidence for the treatment of many diseases for which cannabis is indicated. However, there is a catch. Even a large part of synthetic pharmacological drugs do not have enough evidence for the effectiveness of the treatment of one disease or another, and yet they are used. Let's take, for example, extremely controversial chemotherapy, after which half of the patients die. We still do not know the principle of action of many drugs, e.g. how it is possible that opioid blockers reduce the craving for alcohol and yet are indicated for alcoholism in many countries, including Slovakia — multiple sclerosis and similar diagnoses, motor disorders — Tourette's syndrome or parkinsonism — Alzheimer's disease (it has also been explained in more detail by scientific research why cannabis works well for this disease, overall it is an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase and acts on Amyloid beta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyloid_beta )
Diabetes
Cannabis can improve a whole range of negative symptoms of diabetes. A diabetic patient needs to inject less insulin, has lower sugar levels, prevents neuropathy, pain, lowers blood pressure, and much more. http://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/treating_diabet * – hemp seeds contain very little THC. Hemp oil is produced by pressing hemp seeds. Hemp seeds also have their wide therapeutic use, e.g. atopic eczema – Nabiximols (trade name Sativex) is a specific extract from cannabis approved as a botanical medicine . It contains the same ratio of THC and CBD – among synthetic drugs, the oral spray nabiximols is interesting. The active substance THC can also be taken through the lungs.Anandamide
– Anandamide is a neurotransmitter of cannabinoid receptors – It causes motivation, pleasure, and a good mood – This substance has been shown to play an important role in the problem of infertility and the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus – A small amount of anandamide is also found in chocolate – Anandamide stops the proliferation of breast cancerCannabinoid receptor 1, (CB1)
This receptor is responsible for inhibiting the release of glutamate and GABA. This means that THC is an antagonist of excitatory NMDA receptors and also an antagonist of inhibitory GABA receptors. Simply put, CB1 reduces the activity of NMDA and GABA receptors. NMDA antagonism could explain the symptoms of schizophrenia after cannabis use. CB1 is expressed in the pituitary gland and thyroid gland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid_receptor_type_1CBD – Cannabidiol
– It is suitable for the treatment of breast cancer – agonist for the 5-HT1A receptor (THC is an antagonist for serotonin receptors, so this is also one of the mechanisms by which CBD blocks the effect of THC) – CBD has a very low affinity for CB1 and CB2. It is not an antagonist for CB1 and CB2 but is a strong antagonist/blocker for agonists of these receptors – It has neuroprotective (against neurodegenerative diseases) and anti-ischemic (against tissue ischemia, embolism, and thrombosis) effects – Cannabidiol is an allosteric modulator for opioid receptor type μ and δ-opioid receptors (it increases opioid receptor activity, which certainly contributes to analgesic effects but also to mood improvement) – It acts against anxiety, depression, and social anxiety disorder – While THC induces psychosis, CBD, on the contrary, is a very good antipsychotic . It is seemingly paradoxical that one of the two most important active substances from cannabis is an antipsychotic – CBD can suppress the symptoms of schizophrenia because it can stabilize disrupted or affected NMDA receptors – Specific scientific research confirms that CBD has a comparable antipsychotic effect to the drug amisulpride in acute paranoid schizophrenia – Cannabidiol, unlike other antipsychotics, has almost no side effects (such as weight gain, increased prolactin levels) – Israeli scientists have bred a type of cannabis that has a high CBD content and almost no THC content. In EU countries, such varieties would be very easy to grow in fields, which is also being utilized – In Canada and the USA at the federal level, CBD is considered an illegal substance, which is absolutely insane. CBD has no psychoactive effects. The ban probably stems from the "logic" that THC and CBD have a certain similarity in their molecular structure.THC – Tetrahydrocannabinol
-THC, like cannabidiol, although less effectively, is an allosteric modulator of μ- and δ-opioid receptors -5-HT antagonist -NMDA antagonist -GABA antagonist -there is research that at low doses THC can behave as a serotonin agonist. This means that THC can behave unpredictably – at times it can cause severe depression and at times it can improve mood. -Note : by the way, sage also contains active substances that have a common property with THC, that they are antagonists of GABA and serotonin receptors.CBG – Cannabigerol and the alpha2 receptor
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabigerol -CBG is not found in species with high THC content, but this active substance particularly interested me -it has low affinity for 5-HT, CB1 and CB2 receptors -it is a strong agonist for adrenaline alpha two receptors, high affinity α2-adrenergic receptor agonist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-2_adrenergic_receptor -α2 receptors are unique among all other types of receptors in that their increased activity lowers blood pressure. With all other adrenaline receptors, increased activity increases pressure -increasing the activity of α2 receptors begins to lower the level of noradrenaline and similar substances, catecholamines -drugs acting on alpha2 receptors act in the brain. For example, clonidine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonidine guanfacine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanfacine dexmedetomidine https://www.adc.sk/databazy/produkty/detail/dexdor-100-mikrogramov-ml-infuzny-koncentrat-606320.html Substances/drugs that are agonists for alpha2 receptors have the following uses: – against hypertension , for heart problems (effects are similar to beta-blockers) -as anesthesia used by veterinarians to sedate animals (a side effect of drugs acting on alpha2 receptors is drowsiness) -drugs acting on alpha2 receptors also have psychiatric uses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -they improve memory, improve concentration -they affect the activity of smooth muscles -they reduce acetylcholine production -they act against anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder So the active substance of cannabis, Cannabigerol, has the above-mentioned therapeutic indications. Its use is really wide . In conclusion: it is definitely necessary to do the maximum to allow scientific research on cannabis to be done freely and without restrictions, and for cannabis not to be restricted in any way for medicinal purposes. However, strong corrupt pressures are exerted on politicians and officials of individual states by pharmaceutical companies . For corrupt reasons, changes in laws for the better will not be made so easily. In the Czech Republic, a law was issued that allows the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. However, officials with SÚKL were obviously bribed by pharmaceutical companies and therefore created the greatest possible obstacles and restrictions for cannabis treatment. The insurance company in the Czech Republic does not cover cannabis treatment, and cannabis (all of which is imported from Israel) is very expensive. ****************************************************************** Additional clarifications on cannabis: Correction to the previous article: cannabis is not an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, but an acetylcholine receptor antagonist.An acetylcholine receptor antagonist will manifest, for example, as dry mouth in a recreational cannabis user. Inhibition of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors also manifests as impaired cognitive abilities, impaired short-term, working, or long-term memory. Strong inhibition of acetylcholine receptors manifests similarly to belladonna poisoning, with realistic hallucinations, which may also have symptoms of schizophrenia (this may also play a role in the symptoms of schizophrenia in cannabis users).
Therefore, the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with cannabis without an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor may be unsuccessful.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors may have the following multiple synonymous names according to the classification of the State Institute for Drug Control: Parasympathomimetics, Cholinesterase inhibitors, Anticholinesterases http://www.adcc.sk/web/humanne-lieky/ATC-skupiny.html?atcopen=N06DA02#N06DA02 http://www.adcc.sk/web/humanne-lieky/atc-skupiny/n06da/anticholinesterazy.html http://www.adcc.sk/web/humanne-lieky/ATC-skupiny.html?sec=HL&what=atctree&ATC=N06&col=1#N06
During hospitalization for psychosis after cannabis use, the patient is administered the following medications: – GABA receptor agonist (e.g., a benzodiazepine/sedative or valproate/valproic acid) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valproate#Mechanism_of_action http://www.adcc.sk/web/humanne-lieky/atc-skupiny/n03ag01/kyselina-valproova.html – A suitable drug is also an acetylcholine receptor agonist (these are already listed above) – Opioid receptor blocker – Serotonin precursor tryptophan – D1 receptor antagonist, antipsychotic. (Cannabis is a D1 receptor agonist). In my opinion, it is not necessary to give the patient an antipsychotic (although it will not hurt), the drugs listed above should be sufficient. (Of course, it is very important to use only an antipsychotic that is an agonist, not an antagonist, of serotonin receptors). Of course, if it is proven that the patient has persistent psychosis, it is appropriate for them to take an antipsychotic long-term.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_and_memory#Dopamine (cannabis acts on the D1 receptor and is an antagonist of acetylcholine receptors) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug) (cannabis causes dry mouth) *********************************************************