Sociostructural factors that contribute to substance use-related risk factors, such as incarceration, community context, and social networks, are gaining increasing research focus. Social networks contribute to the context and uptake of drug use via modeling and the sharing of information on how to use substances, drug procurement, and how to sustain usage. Previous studies show that Black men report learning about cannabis from peers and family members and use cannabis to cope with racial discrimination, financial challenges, pain, and other stressors; but the perceptions and attitudes toward cannabis use and other “harder” drugs are not well described. Whether consumed for self-medicative or recreational purposes, many participants in prior studies endorse daily usage as being a non-problematic, normalized, and a beneficial part of their lives. Many providers utilize the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition to determine problematic cannabis use, and assessments are supported by varied metrics and assessment tools. The DSM-5 determines a person may be diagnosed with cannabis use disorder if they meet two of their designated nine criteria that primarily evaluate ability to cease/decrease cannabis use, frequency and amount consumed, and impairment of ability to achieve daily tasks. A person’s social network can influence that person to use substances in ways that are problematic, but these networks have also been found to mediate problematic substance use and recidivism by supporting persistent recovery. By characterizing social networks and contexts to inform the development of effective interventions, researchers and policymakers can leverage social structures for behavioral change. To generate further understanding of this topic as well as support potential interventions,plant growing rack this paper explores how one’s social network contributes to cannabis perception and usage patterns among BMSM who have been involved with the criminal legal system.These data were collected via a supplement to a NIDA funded three-site study designed to develop agent-based models to examine the impact of various interventions on HIV in BMSM who experience incarceration.

The parent study involved three of the four largest jail systems in the country . Interviews from Chicago and Houston were included in this analysis because they were collected first using similar interviewing approaches. Los Angeles data collection was incomplete at the time of this paper and used more in depth approaches, building on what was learned from the Chicago and Houston interviews.We used these data to qualitatively examine perceptions of cannabis use in BMSM in Chicago, IL, and Houston, TX. Eligibility criteria were: age 18–34 years old; Black or African American identified; cisgender male; had sex with a man in the 12 months prior to their interview; incarcerated for at least 24 h; and misuse of opioids or use of illegal drugs other than opioids or marijuana in their lifetime. Researchers conducted 25 interviews that lasted approximately 60 min each using a semi-structured interview guide to explore participants’ experiences with substances, social networks, and incarceration. Participants received a $50 incentive. University of Chicago institutional review board provided oversight to all study procedures.Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, then coded and analyzed. Minority Stress Teory and the Social Ecological Teory were used to understand how contextual factors produce a social environment that encourages sustained or exacerbated substance misuse. By using a modified version of Braun and Clarke’s six-phase guide to a deductive-inductive thematic analysis, we systematically identify and offer insights into themes observed across the sample. Dedoose was used for data coding and management.This paper expands on how social networks and socioenvironments can influence drug use; importantly, we emphasize how a majority of participants reported that their peers and family both positively influenced their desire to consume cannabis as well as negatively influenced their desire to consume “heavier” drugs . Participant narratives of their cannabis usage further emphasized their drug-use behavior as being agentic; rather than passively absorbing influential factors, interviewees endorsed actively considering social contexts and potential consequences when engaging in cannabis related decision-making and risk-assessment.

While most participants endorsed a generally positive relationship with cannabis and did not find their usage disruptive to their daily lives, a small number felt their reliance on cannabis to manage physical and emotional needs was problematic. Social networks as an influencing force for cannabis use is of interest as these same networks could also be leveraged as an intervention for cannabis use disorder. For example, there are several network interventions that could be utilized to promote treatments or health care seeking for cannabis use disorder. A community opinion leader has been successfully utilized for other HIV prevention interventions, and is currently being tested to promote COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Criteria for diagnosing cannabis use disorder vary and effective and durable cannabis use disorder treatments are elusive and impact the likelihood that individuals’ will seek treatment or stop using, particularly when these individuals are embedded in environments where use is pervasive and accepted. Future research and practice examining the role of mediating factors for cannabis usage, such as anxiety and depression management, has the potential to improve treatments. Our findings add to a growing body of research elucidating how social relationships, including peer and family relationships, as well as negative life events influence cannabis usage patterns. Shifting statutes around the legality of cannabis and efforts to reduce recidivism highlight the importance of research on the interplay of incarceration, substance use and cessation, and recidivism. Our findings did not reveal significant differences in how the legality and illegality of cannabis in Chicago and Houston respectively influenced the cannabis use contexts and perceptions of our participants; this may be because all already had experienced incarceration and used substances as a study entry criterion. Analysis of how cannabis consumption behavior differs between legislative jurisdictions should be pursued in future studies, as the landscape of cannabis acceptability and availability is rapidly yet inconsistently evolving across cities.ceptions and consumption in the life course of BMSM who had been incarnated. As such, cannabis perceptions and experiences were not explored in-depth during interviews; however, our analysis is strengthened by not having used leading questions during participant interviews. Additionally, all participants resided in two large metropolitan areas and had a history of incarceration, which may affect generalizability to broader BMSM populations.

Last, we did not have other information to corroborate whether participants’ cannabis consumption was problematic, neutral, or effective as self-treatment.use as being influenced by social and familial networks, the desire to satisfy physical and emotional needs, and preconceptions of the risks and benefits involved in “heavy” drug and cannabis usage. Furthermore, we expand on previous findings with the novel observation that participants behaviors related to “heavy” drug and cannabis usage were the result of their own risk assessments versus passive reactions to impersonal socio-environmental factors. Given the expanded availability of cannabis, with expanding legalized recreational use, and marketing that is often directly speaks to the rationales expressed by our participants, further qualitative research will facilitate understanding of the nuanced of risk-assessments people make related to cannabis use. This is particularly important for individuals who were previously incarcerated for cannabis-related charges. Study findings strengthen and expand our understanding of drug consumption-related decision-making, revealing opportunities for future targeted behavioral interventions.Cannabis sativa has a long history of cultivation for a variety of uses including food, fibre, medicine,indoor vertical garden system and recreational drugs . Cannabis produces many different secondary compounds such as cannabinoids, flavonoids, stilbenoids, alkaloids, lignanamides, and phenolic amides . D9 -Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid , a product of the cannabinoid class, is the primary psychoactive agent. This compound is produced as an acid in the glandular trichomes of in- florescence bracts and undergoes decarboxylation with age or heating to D9 -tetrahydrocannabinol . Cannabis cultivars differ substantially in economic traits that range from marijuana, arguably the most widespread illicit drug, to hemp fibre derived from the stems of the plant. Marijuana consists of the dried female inflorescences in which the quantity of THC exceeds that of cannabidiol, and potency varies among cultivars by several orders of magnitude . Marijuana cultivars are known to have THC levels exceeding 2–24% of inflorescence dry weight whereas hemp cultivars produce substantially less THC but rather high levels of CBD . THCA and CBDA share the same biosynthetic pathway except for the last step in which THCA synthase and CBDA synthase produce THCA or CBDA, respectively . Recent evidence suggests that the genes encoding the two synthases are allelic . CBD and THC are enatiomers, but only THC elicits psychotropic effects, whereas CBD may mediate anti-psychotropic effects , a difference highlighting the stereo-selectivity of receptors in the human body that bind these compounds. Although classified as a drug without therapeutic value in the United States, ingestion of THC is widely regarded as having effects including pain relief and appetite stimulation, that may, among other things, increase the tolerance of cancer patients to chemotherapy . Dronabinol, a synthetic analogue of THC, is approved for use as an appetite stimulant in the United States as a Schedule III drug . Cesamet , another synthetic analogue, is used as an anti-emetic for patients undergoing cancer therapy. The natural product Sativex is approved for use in the UK and is derived from Cannabis cultivars containing both THC and CBD, and is used to treat pain symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. Compounds from Cannabis sativa are of undeniable medical interest, and subtle differences in the chemical nature of these compounds can greatly influence their pharmacological properties. For these reasons, a better understanding of the secondary metabolic pathways that lead to the synthesis of bio-active natural products in Cannabis is needed .

Knowledge of genetics underlying cannabinoid biosynthesis is also needed to engineer drug-free and distinctive Cannabis varieties capable of supplying hemp fibre and oil seed. In this report, RNA from mature glands isolated from the bracts of female inflorescences was converted into cDNA and cloned to produce a cDNA library. DNA from over 2000 clones has been sequenced and characterized. Candidate genes for almost all of the enzymes required to convert primary metabolites into THCA have been identified. Expression levels of many of the candidate genes for the pathways were compared between isolated glands and intact inflorescence leaves.Seeds from the marijuana cultivar Skunk no. 1 were provided by HortaPharm BV and imported under a US Drug Enforcement Administration permit to a registered controlled substance research facility. Plants were grown under hydroponic conditions in a secure growth chamber yielding cannabinoid levels in mature plants as reported in Datwyler and Weiblen . Approximately 5 g of tissue was harvested from mature female inflorescences 8 weeks after the onset of flowering. Tissue was equally distributed into four 50 ml tubes containing 20 ml phosphate buffered saline as described by Sambrook et al. , but made with all potassium salts and mixed at maximum speed with a Vortex 2 Genie for four repetitions of 30 s mixing followed by 30 s rest on ice, for a total of 2 min of mixing. Material was sieved through four layers of 131 mm plastic mesh and the flow-through was split into two 50 ml tubes and spun in a centrifuge for 30 s at 500 rpm. Supernatants were decanted and pellets were resuspended in PBS. The suspensions were combined into one tube and pelleted as before. The resulting pellet was diluted into 100 ll of PBS. Five ll were used for cell counting with a haemocytometer, and the total suspension was estimated to contain 70 000 intact glands. Plant residue was incinerated by a DEA-registered reverse distributor .Full-length cDNAs from CAN24, 383, and 1069 contigs encoding putative polyketide synthases were used as templates for PCR reactions. Sequences identical to CAN24 and 1069 are available in GenBank with accession numbers AB164375 and AAL92879, respectively. The GenBank accession for CAN383 is GQ222379. The PCR reactions were designed to add 5# NcoI and 3# BamHI restriction enzyme sites to the ends of each sequence. After digestion with NcoI and BamHI, the inserts were cloned into the corresponding sites of pHIS8 , which adds eight histidine residues to the N-terminus of the encodedprotein. Clones corresponding to each PKS-related gene were sequenced. The Lasergene MegAlign program using the Clustal W algorithm was used to generate the alignment of PKS genes.