Abstract
The topic of the pharmacokinetics of THC as illustrated by Harvey is very complex. But it is very important when you study a drug to look at some of the processes involved in its absorption, distribution, and elimination. We can vary drug dosages, and marihuana can be administered in a number of different ways: inhalation, orally and rectally. The drug dosage and the form in which it is administered greatly affects absorption. There are many other processes that determine not only what the free-drug concentration will be in the extracellular fluid, but also drug concentration at the site of drug action, which determines the pharmacodynamic effect. It is a complex situation that includes protein binding, storage in the tissues, metabolism, active and inactive metabolites, as well as mechanisms of excretion through biliary excretion with enterohepatic recirculation, fecal excretion, and renal excretion. The drug is also present in other biological tissues and fluids, including hair, saliva, and sweat (Fig. 1).
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Huestis, M. (1999). Pharmacokinetics of THC in Inhaled and Oral Preparations. In: Nahas, G.G., Sutin, K.M., Harvey, D., Agurell, S., Pace, N., Cancro, R. (eds) Marihuana and Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-710-9_11
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