Abstract
The effect of Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), morphine, haloperidol and chlordiazepoxide on the exhibition of the signs of the quasi-morphine withdrawal syndrome was studied in rats. In preliminary studies approximately equi-sedative doses of these drugs were chosen. Morphine and THC produced a very similar degree of suppression of the signs of the quasi-morphine withdrawal, but unlike morphine, the effects of THC were not reversed by the narcotic antagonist, naloxone. The dopamine receptor antagonist, haloperidol, produced a moderate suppression of the withdrawal syndrome and chlordiazepoxide was without significant effect. It is concluded that THC is of very similar potency to morphine in suppressing the quasi-morphine withdrawal syndrome, but its activity in this regard does not appear to be dependent upon the availability of opiate or dopamine receptors, nor is it due to sedation alone.
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Zaluzny, S.G., Chesher, G.B., Jackson, D.M. et al. The attenuation by Δ 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and morphine of the quasi-morphine withdrawal syndrome in rats. Psychopharmacology 61, 207–216 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426738
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426738