Is marijuana an opiate drug?

Does it work through artificial opiates (similar to the body's natural endorphins), or does it affect people through some other way?

I know that heroin and morphine are artificial opiates, and although they are much more damaging than marijuana, do they work the same way?

9 Answers

  • 1 decade ago
    Best Answer

    Cannabis, known as marijuana or ganja in its herbal form and hashish in its resinous form, is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. indica (= C. indica Lam.). The herbal form of the drug consists of dried mature flowers and subtending leaves of pistillate ("female") plants. The resinous form consists primarily of glandular trichomes collected from the same plant material. Marijuana is classified under pychotomimetic agents.

    Please see the web page for more details on Marijuana.

    Source(s): Handbook of Poisoning by Robert H Dreisbach.
  • 1 decade ago

    Opiates, such as morphine, heroin, hydroxycodone, etc.... work on opiate receptors which are present in brain nuclei that are involved in reward, memory, pain perception, as well as a slew of other processes. Opiate receptors are natually responsive to endorphins (i.e. enkephalins) which are endogenous (naturally produced in the body) opiates.

    THC is a cannabinoid derivative, which is a class of drug that comes from the cannabis sativa plant. This drug does not work by the same biochemical mechanism that opiates do. cannabinoids have their own subset of receptors which are also prevelent in many parts of the brain that are associated with appetite, memory, anxiety, etc.... Your body has endogenous cannabinoids (anadamide, 2-arachodonyl glycerol) which are ligands for 1 of 2 known cannabinoid receptors. Their is speculation on a 3rd receptor but that is very new and not well understood research going on right now.

    the pharmacological properties of both Opiates and Cannabinoids are very different from each other. They are not really involved an any of the same processes however if administered in conjuctin with each other may have additive effects. This may be due to downstream regulation of different regions of the brain and/or processes along with the CNS depressent affect that both of these drugs have which may lead to synergistic like effects.

    Source(s): PhD. student Pharmacology
  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Actually the word opiate means "from opium". So morphine (and codeine) are natural opiates. Other narcotic pain killers are either synthetic or semi-synthetic (such as heroin)

    Endorphines means "morphine from within" or pain killers made by the body.

    These act on what are known as "opiate receptors" within the body, and are only harmful if you are allergic or abusing them.

    THC is not chemically related to opiates. It is classified as a hallucinogen and reacts with cannabinoid receptors.

  • 6 years ago

    Marijuana isnt even a is a plant that grows naturally on its own in the wild & if ingested by means of smoking or eating will cause a reaction which is the high that so many people seek!

    It is a plant created by God...Go Figure LOL

  • 5 years ago

    Marijuana is not an opiate drug, but it's also very harmful. It causes permanent brain damage.

  • No it is not an opium derivative. Opiates are from poppies not cannabis. Possibly they affect the same receptors in the brain.

  • 1 decade ago

    Heroin and morphine are true opiates being derived from opium.Marijuna absolutely is not!

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    No. Not at all. It's a totally different drug!

  • Anonymous
    3 years ago

    I too want to ask the same question

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