Scintilate's Musings

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), "medicines today are expected to be of known composition and quality. Even in cases where marijuana can provide relief of symptoms, the crude plant mixture does not meet this modern expectation. The future of medical marijuana lies in classical pharmacological drug development, and indeed there has been a resurgence of scientific, as well as public, interest in the therapeutic applications of cannabinoids."   Further -  "Current scientific accomplishments have propelled interest in developing new drugs that can treat more effectively or more safely the constellation of symptoms for which cannabinoids might have therapeutic benefit  Through the process of what is referred to as “rational drug design,” scientists manipulate the chemical structures of known cannabinoids to design better therapeutic agents." Under the Controlled Substances Act, cannabis is a schedule 1 drug and participating co...

In organic chemistry, a method of separating the compounds in a medicinal plant involves a type of chromatography. The most common types of chromatography used includes gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC).  The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) , since inception, recommended using Gas Chromatography in determining drug-type marijuana from fiber-type marijuana along with using a ratio of only two cannabinoids - THC and CBD.  They have determined that a ratio of greater than one means drug-type and less than one indicates fiber or hemp type. Chromatogram using GC The problem with gas chromatography is in its lack of ability in separating the cannabinoids cannabichromene - CBC and cannabidiol - CBD.  In most Indica strains tested using Thin Layer Chromatography, there was either no cannabidiol present or there was only trace amounts relative to CBG - cannabige...