Utilization Of Cannabis Under 0.5% Thc
Muhammad Arshad Ullah
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan
Ali Hassan
PMAS- University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Abstract
Cannabis and hemp are both related to Cannabis sativa and have the psychoactive compounds tetrahydrocannabional (THC). They are differentiated into diverse cultivar groups keeping in view the phytochemical constituents and functions. Hemp has a lower concentration of THC and a higher amount of cannabidiol (CBD) which is helpful for the assuage of stimulating the THC damages. Now-a-days hemp is progressively more permitted for cultivation all over the world. Hemp cultivars having cannabis under 0.5% THC are allowed to cultivate in the wold for different purposes.
THC levels are also shifting, as breeding of different strains are yielding plants and resins with dramatic increases in THC content over the past decade, from ~ 3% to 12-16% or higher(w/w or percent THC weight/per dry weight of cannabis) and differing in different countries. This plant is widely known to be the major source of cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN). Cannabinoids have shown strong remedial potential against inflammation, depression, nausea, epilepsy, and other effects of clinical relevance. Initial uses of cannabis date back to almost 5000 years in China. Industrial hemp will be utilized having Cannabis less than 0.5% THC. THC is the primary psychoactive compound, with CBD, a non-psychoactive compound, ranking second. Generally, THC is found at higher concentrations than CBD, unless the ratio is deliberately altered. The known chemical composition of Cannabis sativa is constantly changing. New non-cannabinoid and cannabinoid constituents in the plant are discovered frequently. Cannabinoids are basically derived from three sources: (a) Phytocannabinoids are cannabinoid compounds produced by plants Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica; (b) Endocannabinoidsare neurotransmitters produced in the brain or in peripheral tissues, and act on cannabinoid receptors; (c) Synthetic cannabinoids, synthesized in the laboratory, are structurally analogous to phytocannabinoids or endocannabinoids and act by similar biological mechanisms.