A Clinical and Metabolic Study of Acute Intoxication with Cannabis Sativa and its Role in the Model Psychoses

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Abstract
This paper describes an inquiry into the effects of giving oral doses of the narcotic drug variously known as hashish, marijuana and, in South Africa, dagga. The drug is a prepara- tion from the plant Cannabis sativa whose narcotic effect has been known for centuries. The writer's interest in it was inspired by the work in recent years on the mental disturb- ances produced by the active principles of other plants, e.g. mescaline and lysergic acid. Because of the similarity of these changes to those occurring in conditions such as schizo- phrenia, some workers have suggested that these "model psychoses" could be used as a research tool in attempts to elucidate the mechanisms and causes of the naturally occur- ring psychoses. Although there has been a great deal of work on mescaline and lysergic acid, cannabis has not received much attention. This may be because its chemistry is still not fully worked out and preparations of the plant are difficult to standardize and vary in their potency. Cannabis is widely though illegally grown in South Africa and there is no difficulty in getting supplies from the police for research purposes.