Omar ME Abdel-Salam, Marawa El-Sayed El-Shamarka and Enayat A Omara
Cannabis sativa preparations in the form of marijuana (the dried flowering tops and leaves) and hashish (the dried resin and compressed flowers) from the female plant Cannabis sativa is the most widely used illicit drugs worldwide. In humans, cannabis is associated with a spectrum of central nervous system effects. These include euphoria, relaxation and perceptual alterations, which are mediated by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis. Other cannabinoids include cannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabigerol, cannabichromene, and cannabidivarin. Cannabinoid CB1 receptors have been cloned and identified in high concentration in several brain regions eg., hippocampus, basal ganglia, cerebellum and cerebral cortex.