Cannabis intoxication

Substances

• Whole-plant cannabis (street names: marijuana, weed, grass, pot, ganja)

Mechanisms of action

• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): main psychoactive component
  • Interacts with cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 → inhibition of adenylate cyclase

Clinical features

Neuropsychiatric effects of cannabis

• Positive neuropsychiatric effects
  • Euphoric mood, joviality
  • Calming and relaxation
  • Increased awareness of the senses
• Negative neuropsychiatric effects
  • Decreased attention, disorganized thought
  • Distorted sense of time
  • Impairments in concentration, reaction time, coordination, judgment, and/or memory
  • Depression, anxiety, agitation, panic
  • Perceptual disturbances and other psychotic symptoms
  • Social detachment

Physiologic effects of cannabis

• Tachycardia, tachypnea, tremor, arrhythmia
• Increased or decreased blood pressure
• Conjunctival injection, mydriasis, nystagmus
• Increased appetite