-year, $361,000 grant for research at the Albany College of Pharmacy to develop a marijuana patch for medical use. (6) The ultimate goal of the research is to see if the patch would be feasible. The patch will be designed to work using the same principles of the nicotine patch and deliver a controlled release dose of medication.Most people feel marijuana is not a lethal drug nor is there any documented cases of deaths directly attributable to unadulterated marijuana, which suggest that lethal overdoses are highly unlikely. Some say marijuana is not physically addictive and users do not suffer compulsive cravings, and most individuals may at any time cease to employ the drug without suffering physical discomfort. (1) With all of this in mind the only addiction questionable is psychological. Can the user detach if they needed to?The National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA) held a two-day conference to discuss drug prevention, treatment, and research. Topics discussed were expressed opinions of the actual speaker, and are not official policies of NIDA. According to the Billy R Martin a 22-year specialist on TCH who spoke at the National Conference on Marijuana stated, “ that marijuana can produce dependency and the level of dependency is directionally proportional to the dose or quantity used and frequency of exposure”. (3) These findings were derived from animal models using standard proven methods that are used to demonstrate dependency on other drugs of abuse. The effects of marijuana on the Brain, Immune, and Endocrine system were also topics in the meetings held by NIDA There is a unique system in the brain by which marijuana produces its behavioral effects. Laboratory test has shown that THC and compounds like it bind to brain receptors. The location of these receptors is consistent with the type of behaviors associated with marijuana use. Areas of the brain where there are high concentrations of marijuana receptors includ...
