CHEMICAL APPROACH TO THE HEALTH EFFECT OF MARIJUANA DEPENDENCE:A MEDICINAL ALTERNATIVE TO OPIOID - A REVIEW

Marijuana is a plant that has medicinal properties including the ability to relieve pain. Moreover, marijuana has become a rising alternative medicine for Opioid drugs. The side effect due to the usage of Opioid drugs as pain reliever has increased significantly as the number of addicts and overdose continue to escalate. The efficient use of marijuana (Cannabis sativa L. (Limaeus)) a psychoactive plant material, has led to increased recreational dependency of drug. Hence, there is a need to examine the phytochemical properties and biological studies. In vivo and In vitro, biological effects on the brain (Central Nervous System) and body can be studied. There is report on the effects of marijuana. The frequent use of marijuana poses a risk of an overdose or death and infrequent use causes long-term health problems. This article reviews the reason for marijuana dependency and various drug developments enhanced by their chemical constituents. This review provides evidence that marijuana is not just used for pain relief but also contains medicinally important bioactive compounds. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (cannabidiol), α- pinene, apigenin, quercetin, are compounds found to be present in marijuana. The use of this plant species as traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases requires scientific justification and validation. Keywords: Marijuana, Dependency, Traditional medicine, Opioid, Bioactive compound.