Cannabis: A Neurological Remedy or a Drug of Abuse in India

Biswas, Pronit; Mishra, Pooja; Bose, Devasish; Durgbanshi, Abhi̧lasha

doi:10.2174/1871527316666170424115008

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…20, 21 These historical and mythological accounts underscore the notions of cannabis as a valuable medicinal herb, a source of life force and euphoria, and a means for spiritual accord with the Gods. 22, 23 Interestingly, the current debates in the West regarding the medicinal value of cannabis had already preexisted in the Indian subcontinent.…”

Section: Historical and Sociocultural Underpinnings Of Cannabis Use I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India

Karki

Rangaswamy

2022

Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine

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Background: The cultivation and use of cannabis is historically rooted in the Indian subcontinent and this rich heritage of cannabis use dates back to at least two thousand years. Cannabis remains an illicit substance in India despite its changing status globally with many countries legalizing cannabis use in recent years. Scientific research on cannabis use in India has also been sparse. Method: Extensive search of online databases resulted in the identification of 29 original research studies pertaining to one of three areas of cannabis research; a) prevalence of cannabis use b) psychological correlates of cannabis use, c) cannabis use in substance use treatment settings. Findings: We found that most Indian studies used very basic quantitative research designs and had poor scientific rigor. Samples were small, region specific and included only males. Data analyses were limited to descriptive methods. The criteria for cannabis use in most of the reviewed studies were not rigorous and prone to biases. Conclusion & Implications: With changing attitudes and loosening of restrictions on cannabis use, the prevalence of new users is rising dramatically particularly in the college going population. This presents a strong need for research on motivations and attitudes to cannabis use and how those can influence patterns of use, and also the short- and long-term effects of use. More studies with stronger research designs (both cross sectional and longitudinal) are required for the study of cannabis use and this knowledge will be critical for managing the growing substance epidemic, generating public health solutions as well as formulating effective policy frameworks.

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Section: Historical and Sociocultural Underpinnings Of Cannabis Use I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India

Karki

Rangaswamy

2022

Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine

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“…Mutilation is evaluated by the concentration ability of the subject. Marijuana has been found to cause inebriation that leads to a shortfall in spatial learning assignment, induces impediments in task matching and non-matching, and the exiguous follow-up of rodents was assessed in the radial arm maze test ( Biswas et al, 2017 , Dager et al, 2018 ). Furthermore, an extremely supervised analysis was carried out on middle-aged adolescents in America.…”

Section: Marijuana and Health Effects: Conflicting But Interesting Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wonder or evil?: Multifaceted health hazards and health benefits of Cannabis sativa and its phytochemicals

Datta

Ramamurthy

Anand

et al. 2021

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

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Cannabis sativa , widely known as ‘Marijuana’ poses a dilemma for being a blend of both good and bad medicinal effects. The historical use of Cannabis for both medicinal and recreational purposes suggests it to be a friendly plant. However, whether the misuse of Cannabis and the cannabinoids derived from it can hamper normal body physiology is a focus of ongoing research. On the one hand, there is enough evidence to suggest that misuse of marijuana can cause deleterious effects on various organs like the lungs, immune system, cardiovascular system, etc. and also influence fertility and cause teratogenic effects. However, on the other hand, marijuana has been found to offer a magical cure for anorexia, chronic pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and disturbed sleep. Indeed, most recently, the United Nations has given its verdict in favour of Cannabis declaring it as a non-dangerous narcotic. This review provides insights into the various health effects of Cannabis and its specialized metabolites and indicates how wise steps can be taken to promote good use and prevent misuse of the metabolites derived from this plant.

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“…Although cannabis ( Cannabis sativa ) has been widely used throughout history for medicinal, religious, recreational and social purposes, just in the past two decades research in the field has brought to light its multiple benefits (Corcos et al, 2005 ; Biswas et al, 2017 ; Mahvan et al, 2017 ; Yassin et al, 2017 ). In 1964, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis, was isolated and purified, permitting the elucidation of its chemical structure (Gaoni and Mechoulam, 1964 ).…”

Section: The Endocannabinoid System At the Cnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neuroglial Dialog Between Cannabinoids and Hemichannels

Labra

Santibáñez

Gajardo-Gómez

et al. 2018

Front. Mol. Neurosci.

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The formation of gap junctions was initially thought to be the central role of connexins, however, recent evidence had brought to light the high relevance of unopposed hemichannels as an independent mechanism for the selective release of biomolecules during physiological and pathological conditions. In the healthy brain, the physiological opening of astrocyte hemichannels modulates basal excitatory synaptic transmission. At the other end, the release of potentially neurotoxic compounds through astroglial hemichannels and pannexons has been insinuated as one of the functional alterations that negatively affect the progression of multiple brain diseases. Recent insights in this matter have suggested encannabinoids (eCBs) as molecules that could regulate the opening of these channels during diverse conditions. In this review, we discuss and hypothesize the possible interplay between the eCB system and the hemichannel/pannexon-mediated signaling in the inflamed brain and during event of synaptic plasticity. Most findings indicate that eCBs seem to counteract the activation of major neuroinflammatory pathways that lead to glia-mediated production of TNF-α and IL-1β, both well-known triggers of astroglial hemichannel opening. In contrast to the latter, in the normal brain, eCBs apparently elicit the Ca2+-activation of astrocyte hemichannels, which could have significant consequences on eCB-dependent synaptic plasticity.

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Cannabis: A Neurological Remedy or a Drug of Abuse in India

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

A Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India

A Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India

Wonder or evil?: Multifaceted health hazards and health benefits of Cannabis sativa and its phytochemicals

The Neuroglial Dialog Between Cannabinoids and Hemichannels

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