Hallucinogenic Drug Research Paper

Marijuana usage has become a huge debate over the past couple of years across the entire United States. Its legal and illegal usage continues to be an ongoing debate as some lawmakers fight for legality on whether it is appropriate to allow it to be used for medicinal purposes. Ongoing marijuana usage can effect brain production development to include thinking, coordination, and memory. This information, the obvious is well understood by the public, but there is scientific explanations of how plant-derived compounds can affect neurological activity through brain receptor binding. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the substance that causes many of the psychological effects of marijuana usage is considered one of the oldest hallucinogenic drugs. Tetrahydrocannabinol
Scientists became aware of the signaling as further research involving THC was performed, but the height of their research was the uncertainty of why the human brain would need a receptor that was specific to plant compounds. Anandamide which is an “an endogenous analogue of tetra THC has an effect on both the CB₁ and CB₂ receptors (http://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/cannabinoid-science-101-what-is-anandamide/)”, is a neurotransmitter that is alike THC as it pertains to chemical structure. With a long hydrocarbon tile, Anandamide is fat soluble and can easily slip across the blood- brain barrier whereas THC is a “relatively robust molecule (http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/anandamide/ananh.htm)” and cannot break down as easily as anandamide, the more fragile of the
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, was one such molecule. In 1988, specific receptors were discovered in the brain for THC, so the hunt was then on to find the brain's natural analogue of THC. The molecule was isolated in 1992 and later called 'anandamide (http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/anandamide/ananh.htm )”. Like THC, anandamide naturally binds to cannabinoid receptors as well and also produces very similar indicators such as “mood regulation, memory, appetite, pain, cognition, and emotions. When cannabis is introduced into the body, its active ingredient, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can therefore interfere with all of these functions. THC begins this process by binding to the CB1 receptors for anandamide [ ]”. Others ligands that are associated with cannabinoids in addition to Tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD are phytocannabinoinds, synthetic cannabinoids, and