What kind of chemicals are in weed

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Klugman, A. KFx Drugs Consultancy n. Drug facts: Synthetic cannabinoids. Intelligent design might have something to it, after all. We found a plant that mimics our endogenous hormones, and the result is thousands of strains of high-potency cannabis throughout the world. Basically, humans found something that made them feel good, then bred it specifically to make them feel better, and now we've reached the highest possible level of evolution: the bicycle pot delivery guy.

The second most common cannabinoid is cannibidiol, or CBD, which you might have heard about in the news because of its success as a treatment for children with epilepsy. In another display of the evolutionary superiority of human intelligence, there are now non-psychoactive strains of cannabis that are low in THC and high in CBD.

This is great news for people who have seizure disorders, anxiety, chronic pain or autoimmune disorders -- all of which CBD can alleviate. That brings us to another big catchphrase in the cannabis industry: The Entourage Effect.

So, what kind of company does THC keep? Studies involving people with HIV infection were used because of high tobacco and marijuana smoking rates in this group. The researchers collected data from participants' medical records and survey results and analyzed their blood and urine samples for substances produced by the breakdown of nicotine or the combustion of tobacco or marijuana.

Combining these datasets enabled them to trace the presence of specific toxic chemicals to tobacco or marijuana smoking and to see if any were associated with an increased risk of heart disease. The investigators found that participants who exclusively smoked marijuana had higher blood and urine levels of several smoke-related toxic chemicals such as naphthalene, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile metabolites than non-smokers did.

However, the concentrations of these substances were lower in marijuana-only smokers than in tobacco smokers. Investigators also found that acrolein metabolites -- substances generated by the breaking down of acrolein -- were elevated in tobacco smokers but not marijuana smokers. This increase was associated with cardiovascular disease regardless of whether individuals smoked tobacco or had other risk factors.

Materials provided by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News.