Hypnotic Properties of THC: Experimental Comparison of THC, Chloral Hydrate, and Placebo

Abstract

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was found by Mechoulam in 1964 to be the active ingredient of marihuana (Mechoulam, 1965) which reproduces in man all the mind-altering effects found in marihuana users. Besides the well-known psychological effects of this psychoactive ingredient of particular importance for this study are the reports of its sedative and calming properties which were initially reported by O’shaughnessy in the middle of the nineteenth century. He found cannabis (generic for marihuana) to have muscle-relaxant anticonvulsant and analgesic properties. Perhaps the most important finding, which still holds, was that even with the large doses of cannabis that had been given to different animals, no one died. O’shaughnessy’s findings awakened great interest in Europe where numerous reports sprouted, in dicating a wide gamut of actions: soporific and sleep-inducing, for the treatment of menstrual cramps, coughs, insomnia, and as a mild somnificant (Wood, 1886; Hare and Chrystie, 1892).