A Clinical and Metabolic Study of Acute Intoxication with Cannabis Sativa and its Role in the Model Psychoses

Abstract

This paper describes an inquiry into the effects of giving oral doses of the narcotic drug variously known as hashish, marihuana and, in South Africa, dagga. The drug is a preparation from the plant Cannabis sativa whose narcotic effect has been known for centuries. The writer's interest in it was inspired by the work in recent years on the mental disturbances produced by the active principles of other plants, e.g. mescaline and lysergic acid. Because of the similarity of these changes to those occurring in conditions such as schizophrenia, some workers have suggested that these “model psychoses” could be used as a research tool in attempts to elucidate the mechanisms and causes of the naturally occurring psychoses. Although there has been a great deal of work on mescaline and lysergic acid, cannabis has not received much attention. This may be because its chemistry is still not fully worked out and preparations of the plant are difficult to standardize and vary in their potency.

Toward a Medical Understanding of Marihuana

“…Palpitations have been reported (2,20), as have tightness of the chest (44) and severe precordial discomfort with slight EEG. changes (2).…”

“…Palpitations have been reported (2,20), as have tightness of the chest (44) and severe precordial discomfort with slight EEG. changes (2). Injection of the conjunctival blood vessels is regarded as pathognomonic (1,2,8,23,44,46,47), and edema of the eyelids has also been reported (2).…”

“…Among the general effects of cannabis preparations the more commonly described ones are increased appetite (1,15,42,44,47), headache (2,20,39), dizziness (35,44), vertigo (6,20), fainting (20, H) and perspiration (10,15). In addition to and residual effects described previously, and contrary to popular belief, hangover effects have been described (1,13).…”

“…The effects of cannabis have a wave-like quality and fluctuations occur in the same person during any single episode of intoxication (2). While, in general, the stronger the preparation the greater the response, idiosyncratic psychotic states have been precipitated in experimental subjects even with low doses of a pure synrhetic tetrahydrocannabinol (23).…”

“…One recent observer, finding a number of psychological tests unreliable in assessing the effects of a cannabis extract on individuals, likened its unprediotability to that of LSD (16). While the duration of effects is generally reported as being from one-half to four hours, in some subjects the intoxicated state may last up to twelve hours (1) with residual effects of varying degrees persisting for several days (2,12) or even weeks (28).…”