Spiritual Benefit from Cannabis.

Like many mind-altering plants, cannabis has been part of spiritual practices for thousands of years. It has deep roots in Hinduism, Islam, Rastafarianism, and indigenous traditions in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. Yet almost no attention has been given to how contemporary adults employ it spiritually. A sample of 1087 participants (mean age = 38.9) completed an online survey assessing their use of cannabis and other substances, as well as spiritual and psychological characteristics. Spiritual benefit from cannabis was reported by 66.1% of the sample, and 5.5% reported it had sometimes been a spiritual hindrance. A MANOVA showed that those who reported spiritual benefit differed significantly from those who did not on several outcome variables, and a post hoc descriptive discriminant analysis revealed that expansiveness motivation, non-theistic daily spiritual experience, meditation frequency, and two mindfulness facets contributed most to differentiating the two groups. The majority of the sample (63%) was free of cannabis use disorder. Compared to disordered groups, the non-disordered group was significantly older and scored lower on experiential avoidance, psychological distress, and several motives for use. Results suggest that spiritual motives for cannabis use may be widespread. Implications for future research on spiritual use of cannabis are discussed.

Phytocannabinoids: Useful Drugs for the Treatment of Obesity? Special Focus on Cannabidiol.

Currently, an increasing number of diseases related to insulin resistance and obesity is an alarming problem worldwide. It is well-known that the above states can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. An excessive amount of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in a diet also evokes adipocyte hyperplasia and subsequent accumulation of lipids in peripheral organs (liver, cardiac muscle). Therefore, new therapeutic methods are constantly sought for the prevention, treatment and alleviation of symptoms of the above mentioned diseases. Currently, much attention is paid to Cannabis derivatives-phytocannabinoids, which interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) constituents. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the most abundant compounds of Cannabis plants and their therapeutic application has been suggested. CBD is considered as a potential therapeutic agent due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, neuroprotective, and potential anti-obesity properties. Therefore, in this review, we especially highlight pharmacological properties of CBD as well as its impact on obesity in different tissues.

Challenges towards Revitalizing Hemp: A Multifaceted Crop.

Hemp has been an important crop throughout human history for food, fiber, and medicine. Despite significant progress made by the international research community, the basic biology of hemp plants remains insufficiently understood. Clear objectives are needed to guide future research. As a semi-domesticated plant, hemp has many desirable traits that require improvement, including eliminating seed shattering, enhancing the quantity and quality of stem fiber, and increasing the accumulation of phytocannabinoids. Methods to manipulate the sex of hemp plants will also be important for optimizing yields of seed, fiber, and cannabinoids. Currently, research into trait improvement is hindered by the lack of molecular techniques adapted to hemp. Here we review how addressing these limitations will help advance our knowledge of plant biology and enable us to fully domesticate and maximize the agronomic potential of this promising crop.

Pharmacologic Implications of Marijuana Use During Pregnancy.

Marijuana is the most commonly used recreational drug in the United States, including among women of childbearing age and women who are pregnant. Changing legal statutes that allow for the use of medical marijuana and the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use reflect more permissive societal views on the use of this drug. Active compounds in marijuana cross the placenta rapidly and are excreted in breast milk. Results of studies of the effects of marijuana on a developing fetus and neonate are conflicting, but researchers have identified chronic marijuana exposure as a risk factor for preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age infants. This article reviews the pharmacology of marijuana and discusses implications for nurses who work with women of childbearing age.

In Vitro Propagation of Cannabis sativa L. and Evaluation of Regenerated Plants for Genetic Fidelity and Cannabinoids Content for Quality Assurance.

Cannabis sativa L. (Marijuana; Cannabaceae), one of the oldest medicinal plants in the world, has been used throughout history for fiber, food, as well as for its psychoactive properties. The dioecious and allogamous nature of C. sativa is the major constraint to maintain the consistency in chemical profile and overall efficacy if grown from seed. Therefore, the present optimized in vitro propagation protocol of the selected elite germplasm via direct organogenesis and quality assurance protocols using genetic and chemical profiling provide an ideal pathway for ensuring the efficacy of micropropagated Cannabis sativa germplasm. A high frequency shoot organogenesis of C. sativa was obtained from nodal segments in 0.5 µM thidiazuron medium and 95 % in vitro rhizogenesis is obtained on half-strength MS medium supplemented with 500 mg/L activated charcoal and 2.5 µM indole-3-butyric acid. Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) and Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detection (GC-FID) are successfully used to monitor the genetic stability in micropropagated plants up to 30 passages in culture and hardened in soil for 8 months.

Estudio descriptivo de las drogas de abuso en el Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén / Descriptive study of drugs of abuse in the Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén

Droga es, según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), toda sustancia que, introducida en un organismo vivo por cualquier vía, es capaz de actuar sobre el sistema nervioso central. Desde hace varias décadas, el consumo de drogas de abuso ha aumentado en la población de nuestro país, pero ni todos los fármacos son una droga ni todas las drogas son fármacos. Objetivos. El objetivo principal es la descripción del total de las pruebas de drogas de abuso, así como su distribución, según fueran realizadas en los Hospitales Médico-Quirúrgico (HMQ) y Neurotraumatológico (HNT) del Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, durante el año 2012. Como objetivos secundarios se analizan las diferencias de las pruebas según las variables: sexo, meses del año y edad del paciente. Metodología. Se realiza una descripción de las diferencias según el tipo de droga y asociaciones de dos, tres, cuatro o cinco drogas a la vez y, por último, se estudian las diferencias según la droga detectada sea de uso terapéutico o ilícito. Resultados. Los resultados indican un positivo por cada 300 habitantes, sobre todo varones adultos, en el Hospital Neurotraumatológico. La droga más detectada son las benzodiazepinas, solas o en asociación con el cannabis (AU)

Drugs is, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), any substance introduced into a living organism by any route is capable of acting on the central nervous system. For decades, drug abuse has increased in the population of our country but not all drugs are an illegal drug. Objectives. The overall objective is the description of testing for drugs of abuse, and their distribution, as they were made in the Hospital Médico-Quirúrgico (HMQ) and Neurotraumatológico (HNT) of the Hospital of Jaén, in 2012. Secondary objectives analyzed the differences in the tests as variables: sex, months of the year and age of the subject (patient). Methodology. We carry a description of differences by type of drug and associations of two, three, four or five drugs at once and finally, we study differences detected by drug or therapeutic use is illegal (of abuse). Results. The results indicate a positive per 300 inhabitants, mostly men, adults and Hospital Neurotraumatológico. The most commonly detected drugs are benzodiazepines, alone or in association with cannabis (AU)

High frequency plant regeneration from leaf derived callus of high Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol yielding Cannabis sativa L.

An efficient in vitro propagation protocol for rapidly producing Cannabis sativa plantlets from young leaf tissue was developed. Using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), high THC yielding elite female clone of a drug-type CANNABIS variety (MX) was screened and its vegetatively propagated clones were used for micropropagation. Calli were induced from leaf explant on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 µM) of indole- 3-acetic acid (IAA), indole- 3- butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), and 2,4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid (2,4-D) in combination with 1.0 µM of thidiazuron (TDZ) for the production of callus. The optimum callus growth and maintenance was in 0.5 µM NAA plus 1.0 µM TDZ. The two-month-old calli were subcultured to MS media containing different concentrations of cytokinins (BAP, KN, TDZ). The rate of shoot induction and proliferation was highest in 0.5 µM TDZ. Of the various auxins (IAA, IBA, and NAA) tested, regenerated shoots rooted best on half strength MS medium (1/2 - MS) supplemented with 2.5 µM IBA. The rooted plantlets were successfully established in soil and grown to maturity with no gross variations in morphology and cannabinoids content at a survival rate of 95 % in the indoor growroom.

[Characteristics of Cannabis sativa L.: seed morphology, germination and growth characteristics, and distinction from Hibiscus cannabinus L].

Illegal cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivation is still a social problem worldwide. Fifty inquiries on cannabis that Research Center for Medicinal Plant Resources (Tsukuba Division) received between January 1, 2000 and March 31, 2009 were itemized in to 8 categories; 1: seed identification, 2: plant identification, 3: indoor cultivation, 4: outdoor cultivation, 5: germination and growth characteristics, 6: expected amount of cannabis products derived from illegal cannabis plant, 7: non-narcotic cannabis and 8: usage of medicinal cannabis. Top three inquiries were 1: seed identification (16 cases), 3: indoor cultivation (10 cases) and 4: outdoor cultivation (6 cases). Characteristics of cannabis, namely seed morphology, germination and growth characteristics, and distinction from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) that is frequently misjudged as cannabis, were studied to contribute for prevention of illegal cannabis cultivation.

[Specific features of microsporogenesis in the hemp of the Shu valley]. / Osobennosti mikrosporogeneza u konopli Shuskoi doliny.

Specific features of microsporogenesis were studied in the narcotic drug containing hemp of the Shu valley. Nuclear divisions were investigated from the moment of appearance of the archesporial tissue until the formation of mature pollen grains. A special attention is paid to the detailed cytological analysis of meiosis and defects at all meiotic phases. The defects at anaphase 1 and anaphase 2 did not affect the karyotype constancy and their absence at the tetrad stage can be considered as an evidence of cytological stability of the studied material.

Cannabis: its therapeutic use.

This article provides an overview of the issues surrounding the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Examples of some of the ethical issues related to professional practice are discussed. The authors do not advocate legalising cannabis for all, but the therapeutic advantages and disadvantages of using cannabis are highlighted.