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TETRAHIDROCANNABINOL (THC), GENETIC VARIABILITY AND VARIABILITY IN PHARMACOLOGICAL RESPONSE The most frequent drug of consumption in the world is marijuana, with a 3.8% prevalence (around 183 million people), followed by amphetamines and amphetamine-type stimulants(1). In Mexico, there is an estimated 14.0% of men and 3.7% of women who uses it; Additionally, it is the drug with the highest increase in consumption, both in men and women. The risk perception of marijuana use is involved in this growth, it has fallen below 40%, while in other substances such as cocaine or inhalants it reaches values above 62%(2).
Javier Esquivel Vargas, Diana Vega Perea, Darío Morales Martínez, Miriam Morales Mtz., Alberto García González, Alionka Citlali P. Ángeles Grupo Phi Innovación y Desarrollo Científico, S.A.P.I. de C.V.
Cannabis is a plant native to Mongolia and southern Siberia. America’s first contact with it was through Christopher Columbus, who transported in his boats an estimated 80 tons of sails and ropes made of hemp. Later, during the conquest period (~ 1521), Hernán Cortés imported several plants from Europe and Asia, including C. sativa and C. indica, to boost the economy of New Spain(3). The Cannabis Sativa plant belongs to the Cannabaceae family (4), it is composed for more than 545 substances (5) from 18 types of chemical compounds (4), where at least 120 phytocannabinoids have been identified (6). Phytocannabinoids can be divided into 11 classes, depending on their chemical structure: cannabigerol, (-) - 19-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabichromene, cannabinol, (-) - 18 tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabicyclol, cannabinodiol, cannabielsoin, cannabitriol and miscellaneous (7). Most of the biological properties of cannabinoids lie in their interaction with the human endocannabinoid system. This system includes two G protein coupled to cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, as well as two endogenous ligands, anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol (8). Among cannabinoids, Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has the highest psychoactive strenght(9). It has shown analgesic, immunosuppressive and muscle relaxant, antiinflammatory, appetite modulator, antidepressant, antiemetic, bronchodilator, neuroleptic, antineoplastic and antiallergen effects (10); however, it has also been associated with some side effects, including anxiety, cholinergic deficit, severe immunosuppression, hallucinations, paranoia, and tachycardia. These adverse effects have been commonly associated with car accidents, work injuries, and hospitalizations (11).
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