ABSTRACT
Marijuana and its major psychoactive component ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC), profoundly affect brain function and behavior. Endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), such as the prototypical anandamide have effects on behavior, similar, but not identical to those of plant-derived or synthetic cannabinoids. Although there is no single, unique effect of cannabinoids on behavior, a battery of behavioral and physiological tests is commonly used to reflect central cannabinoid effects in man. Cannabinoids affect a number of functions including nociception, motor activity, stress and anxiety, feeding and appetite and sleep. Hence, endocannabinoids presumably play a physiological role in these areas. Although marijuana has been considered in the past a “soft drug”, there is now widespread agreement that addiction to cannabis develops by activating the same neural substrate as other drugs including cocaine, heroin and alcohol.
