Stirring the Pot: What medications could potentially interact with marijuana?
Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia currently have laws broadly legalizing marijuana in some form. But, regardless of legal status, recreational and medicinal use of marijuana is common across the United States. With this increasing availability and also the increasing potency of marijuana, it is important for both users and healthcare professionals to be aware of the potential drug interactions associated with marijuana use.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid found in marijuana. Cannabidiol (CBD) is also found in high concentrations in marijuana but is not psychoactive; it has an antagonistic effect at the cannabinoid receptors and appears to block some of the effects of THC. Cannabinol (CBN) is a relatively weak psychoactive cannabinoid existing in very small quantities within the marijuana plant but is one of the primary metabolites of THC. The marijuana plant contains more than 50 other cannabinoids, but synthetic medications approved by the...
