(From Health Canada Report, 2000)

Absorption: The process by which a chemical (substance) is transported and taken up into living tissues of the body.

Acute Toxicity: The damaging effects observed in short term toxicity studies usually involving a single dose of a chemical or multiple dose given within 24 hours

Adenoma: A benign epithelial tumour with a gland-like structure.

Additive Effect: The effect of two or more chemicals acting together such that their combined effect is equivalent to the sum of their individual effects.

Administered Dose: The amount of chemical (substance) given to an animal or human.

Agonist: A chemical that by binding to a specific receptor binding site causes the normal functioning of the receptor (opposite of antagonist).

Anandamide (ANA): arachidonylethanolamide; a substance that is normally present in the body and binds to the cannabinoid receptor.

Androgens: Hormones produced in the male gonads required for gamete (sperm) production. In humans the most important androgen secreted by the testes is testosterone, other androgens produced in the testes include dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone, and small amounts of pregnenolone and progesterone.

Aneuploidy: having at least one more or one less chromosome than the usual diploid number; usually occurs as a result of an error during meiosis.

Antagonist: A chemical that competes with the agonist for the same receptor binding site and binds to the receptor macromolecule without altering the receptor’s function. Thus, the antagonist prevents binding and effectively blocks the biologic actions of agonist molecules.

 

Antagonist: When referring to interactions with a cellular receptor an antagonist is a chemical that has affinity for a particular receptor binding site and by binding to this site blocks the binding of the natural ligand resulting in interruption of the proper functioning of the receptor.

Antagonistic Effect: When referring to effects of more than one chemical: The interaction of more than one chemical, such that presence of one chemical  counteracts the effect of the other chemical. Thus, simultaneous exposure to two such chemicals has less effect than the simple sum of their individual effects.

Application Rate: Amount of product (g) applied to the surface area (m²) of the skin with the units g/m².

Astrocytoma: a malignant type of brain tumour

Bioaccumulative/Bioaccumulation: The tendency of a lipophilic chemical to partition to fatty tissues in biological systems and to accumulate to greater concentrations in these tissues over time.

Bioassays: Tests conducted using living organisms.

Biogenic Amines: Biologically active chemicals synthesized from amino acids that act as neurotransmitters in the nervous system (e.g. acetylcholine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine).

Cannabinoid Receptor: A protein that spans the cell membrane and provides a specific site for which cannabinoids have an affinity.

Cannabinoids: A family of chemicals with similar structure produced in Cannabis plants (see main report Figure 1 for some structures).

Carcinoma: A malignant growth of epithelial cells that may spread to other parts of the body.

Catecholamines: Biogenic amines with a specific chemical base structure, including adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine.

Catecholaminergic Neurons: Nerve cells that release catecholamines.

CBC:      Cannabichromene, belongs to the cannabinoid family of chemicals produced in Cannabis plants.

CBD:            Cannabidiol, belongs to the cannabinoid family of chemicals found in Cannabis sativa.

CBG:            Cannabigerol, belongs to the cannabinoid family of chemicals found in Cannabis sativa. 

CBN:            Cannabinol, belongs to the cannabinoid family of chemicals found in Cannabis sativa.

Cerebellum: A subdivision of the brain located in the lower back portion and involved with skeletal muscle functions, maintenance of balance and smooth movements.

Chromosomal Aberrations:            Abnormalities in the physical structure of the chromosome.

Chronic Toxicity: The damaging effects of a long term exposure to a chemical.

Clastogenic Effects:            Disruptions or breakages of chromosomes.

Dermal Absorption: The relative amount of chemical (%) applied to the skin that is taken up by the body.

Dermal Permeability:            The rate at which a chemical penetrates the skin, expressed as the permeability coefficient (or flux normalized for concentration) in units of cm/hour.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): The cannabinoid found in in Cannabis sativa that is considered to be the principle component responsible for its psychoactive effects. Also known as delta-1-tetrahydrocannabinol. Considered for this report to be equivalent to delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (a minor cannabinoid that is structurally similar to THC).

Dominant Lethal Mutation: A mutation carried on the Y chromosome that causes death those affected.

Dopamine: A neurotransmitter that plays a role in the control of movement.

Dopaminergic Neurons: Nerve cells that release dopamine.

Dose: The amount of a chemical administered to an organism.  Applied dose is the amount of chemical presented to an absorption barrier (not yet having crossed it). Delivered dose is that amount that crosses the absorption barrier into systemic circulation.

Dose-Response Assessment: The determination of the relationship between the magnitude of the dose of chemical administered and the occurrence of health effects of concern.

Dose-Response Curves: The curve that characterizes the relationship between the dose and the magnitude of a graded effect, in an individual or a population. A variety of forms of the curve are possible. Within a given dose range, the curve may or may not be linear.

Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Study: In a double blind study neither the researcher nor the subject knows whether the test substance or a placebo (inactive substance that appears similar to the test substance) has been given until the study is completed.

Dronabinol (THC): A synthetic cannabinoid used as a therapeutic. 

Endogenous:   Originating from within the organism.

Endogenous Cannabinoid: A natural chemical synthesized in the body that binds to and activates the cannabinoid receptor.

Endogenous Cannabinoid System: The collection of cannabinoid receptors and the cannabinoids that bind to these.

Estradiol (17-b-E2): Estradiol is the major secretory product of the ovary.

Estrogens: The group of steroid hormones that control female reproductive development and functioning.

Estrous: The menstrual phase of the menstrual cycle.

Exposure Assessment:   The estimation (qualitative or quantitative) of the magnitude, the frequency, duration and route of exposure to chemical(s) or substance(s) that a consumer (in this report: adult female, adult male, child) would likely take in internally during product(s) use or lifestyle habits.

Exposure Scenario(s):   Set of conditions, facts, assumptions and inferences that describe the circumstances affecting exposure of an individual or population being assessed. These include the route of exposure, the quantity of the material used, the frequency and duration of use. Together these aid the exposure assessor in evaluating, estimating or quantifying exposures to chemical(s) or substance(s) of concern.

Fetotoxicity: Damaging effects to the developing fetus in the womb (in humans the fetal stage is reached after about three months of pregnancy, prior to which is the embryo stage).

FSH: Follicle-Stimulating Hormone is a glycoprotein hormone produced in the anterior pituitary. FSH and LH together regulate gonadal function. FSH principally stimulates gametogenesis and follicular development in females and spermatogenesis in males. In the ovary, FSH acts on the immature follicular cells and initiates development of the mature follicle and oocyte. In the testes, FSH acts on Sertoli cells stimulating their production of androgen building protein.

GD: Gestation Day. (e.g. GD1-end is the period of time from Gestation Day one to end of gestation)

Genotoxicity:   Damaging effects of exposure to a chemical or substance to genetic material (nucleic acids) of living cells.

Gonadectomized rats: Laboratory rats that have had their gonads removed.

Gonadotropins: Hormones that stimulate egg and sperm production and sex hormone synthesis (luteinizing hormone - LH and follicular stimulating hormone - FSH).

Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone: Hormones released from the hypothalamus that stimulate the pituitary to secrete LH and FSH. 

Hazard Assessment: Identification of specific health hazards of chemical(s) and substances(s) of concern determined through critical review of the scientific hazard data. Identification of No-Observed-Effect-Level(s) or Low-Observed-Effect-Level(s) for the chemical(s) or substances(s) of concern.

hCG:   Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. This hormone is produced by the human placenta. Its function is to stimulate the ovarian corpus luteum to produce progesterone and maintain placenta. hCG stimulates gonadal steroid hormones.

Hepatocellular Adenoma: A benign liver tumour.

Heritable Translocations: Errors in chromosomes that are passed to the next generation.

Histopathology: Identification of pathological changes in tissues at a microscopic level.

Human Epidemiology Studies: Studies of health effects observed to occur in human populations in association with an identified stressor(s) and the relationship of various factors modifying the frequency and distribution of diseases in a human community.

Hydrophobic:  Literally “water hating”, the property of a chemical such that it has the tendency to “flee” from aqueous phase; opposite of hydrophilic or “water loving”. 

Hypothalamic Alteration: A disruption to the normal function of the hypothalamus causing subsequent effects on hormonal processes.

Hypothalamus: A tiny area of the brain responsible for the correlation of neural and endocrine functions. The most important area of the brain for regulation of the internal environment. It is also associated with emotions.

Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis: The interaction of the hypothalamus (secretes releasing hormones that stimulate the pituitary), the pituitary (secretes gonadotropins that control the gonads) and the gonads (secretes sex hormones which give negative feed back to the hypothalamus that controls the secretion of releasing hormones).

Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: The interaction of the hypothalamus (secretes releasing hormones that stimulate the pituitary), the pituitary (secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone that stimulates the adrenal gland) and the adrenal gland (secretes androgens which give negative feed back to the hypothalamus that controls the secretion of releasing hormones).

Immunotoxic: Damaging effects to the immune system.

Industrial Hemp: Cannabis sativa (as defined in the Industrial Hemp Regulations 1089, Health Canada, 1998) that contains < 0.3% (w/w) delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Industrial Hemp Meal: The pressed seed cake of industrial hemp seed.

Industrial Hemp Nut:  The hulled (de-shelled) industrial hemp seed.

Industrial Hemp Oil:   Oil that is cold pressed from industrial hemp seeds.

Industrial Hemp Seed: Seed from mature Cannabis sativa (industrial hemp variety) plants.

In Utero:       in the womb

i.m. Injection:   Intramuscular injection

i.p. Injection:  Intraperitoneal injection

i.v. Injection:  Intravenous injection of a chemical or drug.

In Vivo: Literally “in life,” a study conducted using living intact organisms.

In Vitro: Literally “in glass,” a study conducted in a vessel (glass container or diffusion cell) using excised tissues, enzyme preparations or microorganisms.

LH: Luteinizing Hormone is a glycoprotein hormone produced by the anterior pituitary. LH is primarily involved in the control of gonadal steroid hormone production. In the testes, LH stimulates Leydig cells to produce testosterone. In the ovary, LH and FSH together stimulate follicular development. LH induces ovulation by the mature follicle, and stimulates the corpus luteum in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle to produce progesterone and androgens.

LHRH: Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone. Produced by the hypothalamus, this hormone controls the release of the gonadotropin LH by the pituitary.

Lipophilic: Literally “fat loving” or “fat seeking”, the property of a chemical such that it preferentially partitions to lipid, fat or oil phase rather than aqueous phase.

Log Kow (Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient): The log base 10 of the ratio of the amounts of chemical in each of the two competing media at steady state.

Luteal Function: Refers to the functioning of the corpus luteum, a gland like structure that develops after ovulation in preparation for a pregnancy and secretes estrogen and progesterone.

Luteal Phase: One of the two phases of the menstrual cycle. It occurs after ovulation and before menstruation.

Matrix (Matrices): The medium or material in which a chemical or substances is contained or dissolved (i.e. industrial hemp oil in which THC is dissolved).

MBH:  Mediobasal hypothalamus: the site of LHRH release.

Mean: The arithmetic average of a set of data values.

Micronuclei: Tiny nuclei containing chromosome fragments that form as result of errors during chromosome division caused by chemical exposure to the cell.

Mutagenicity: Change to the primary base-pair structure of DNA.

NE: Norepinephrine (noradrenaline)

Neoplasm (Tumour): Continued growth of tissues after original growth stimulus has ceased. Cells of a benign tumour are non-invasive and do not form secondary tumours. Cells of a malignant tumour can spread throughout the body, form secondary tumours and invade and destroy other tissues

Neoplastic and Non-Neoplastic Lesions: tumourous lesions and non-tumourous lesions.

  Neuroendocrine System: The functionally related nervous and endocrine system controlled in large part by the hypothalamus. The hormone-based system in mammals that controls and regulates, through the synthesis and secretion of hormones,  processes governing animal growth, reproduction, development, nervous system development and function, renal function, animal behaviour and the immune system.

  Neurocognitive Effects: Disruption of learning behavior and mental processes.

  Neurological Disruption/Impairment: Disruption of the central nervous system resulting in deficits in cognitive and motor functioning.

  Neuromodulators: Chemicals that modify or alter neurotransmitter responses. They may act by affecting the synthesis, metabolism, reuptake, release or receptor binding of the neurotransmitter. Examples of neuromodulators that have been found to be affected by cannabinoids include: histamine, prostaglandins and opioid peptides.

Neurotransmitters: Signals between nerve cells (neurons) and between nerves cells and their effector cells are usually conducted by chemical rather than electrical impulses. Neurotransmitters are chemical whose role is involved in the chemical synaptic transmission (activation or inhibition) by binding to a specialized receptor molecule. The nervous system and neuroendocrine system are controlled and integrated in this manner. Examples of neurotransmitters that have been found to be affected by cannabinoids include: dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), norepinephrine.

Non-Detectable: A concentration of a chemical (or substance) in a medium (matrix) that is less than the detectable limit of the analytical  method used to measure that chemical (or substance). In exposure assessments it is generally recommended that these values be included in the analysis as values equal to or one-half the detection limit.

Non-lymphoblastic Leukemia: malignant tumour of the blood.

No-Observed-Effect-Level (NOEL): The greatest dose of a chemical administered in a dose-response toxicity test, at which no response (for a specific effect) is observed in the test organism.

Norepinephrine: A neurotransmitter of the autonomic nervous system. Most postganglionic sympathetic fibers release norepinephrine; increases peripheral resistance and both diastolic and systolic blood pressure.

NTP:  National Toxicology (Testing) Program

Nutraceuticals: Nutritional supplements sold commercially that are purported to enhance human health.

Opioidergic Neurons:            Neurons (nerve cells) that are stimulated by opioid binding to the receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Some of the brain opioid binding sites function with pain transmission and the alteration of the pain threshold. Several nuclei of the thalamus and hypothalamus have been found to have high density opioid binding sites.

Oral Absorption: Relative amount of chemical (%) when administered orally that is taken up (absorbed) by the body. See Section 3.2.3.1 of the draft report.

Ovarian Hypoplasia: Lower than normal cell division rates in the ovary.

Ovaries: Female gonads (sex organs) of which there are two in a female mammal. The ovaries hold the unfertilized oocytes (eggs or ovum) and produce female sex hormones.

P450 inhibitors: Chemicals or substances that impede the metabolic function of the family of enzymes known as the P450 enzymes. The P450 enzymes play a major role in the transformation, breakdown and subsequent excretion of a wide range of chemicals, including known toxic substances.

Percentile: The specific value of distribution that divides the data set in such a way that the P percent data are less than or equal to this value and 1-P percent of the data exceed this value. For example,

the 95^th percentile (P = 0.95) is that value X such that 95% of the data have values equal or less than X, and 5% of the data have values exceeding X. By definition the median is the 50^th percentile.

Perinatal: The period before and immediately after birth and during weaning.

Peripubertal: The period before and during puberty.

Pharmacokinetics: The study of the time course of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of a substance in the body.

Pituitary: The small 2 lobed vascular endocrine gland located at  the base of the brain in most vertebrates. The anterior lobe secretes hormones that are responsible for the control of other endocrine glands. The posterior lobe secretes hormones that affect renal functions, contractions of smooth muscle and the reproduction. The pituitary gland directly and indirectly controls and regulates most basic bodily functions of mammals.

Potentiative: The interactive effect one chemical on another such that an otherwise non-toxic or less-toxic chemical enhances the toxicity of another chemical.

Parts Per Million (PPM):The concentration of a chemical in a medium that is 1 part chemical to 10⁶ parts medium. Typical units are 1 ppm = 1 ug/g or 1 mg/kg or 1 mg/L.

Prenatal Exposure:            Exposure to a substance while in the uterus (in utero) before birth.

Prepubertal: The period before onset of puberty.

Proenkephalin: An opiod peptide produced in many areas of the brain.

Prolactin (PRL): A polypeptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary and stimulates milk production by the mammary glands.

Prostaglandins: A group of modified fatty acids that act as chemical messengers in most cells of the body.

Psychoactivity/Psychoactive Effects: Neurological effects that result in the subject perceiving a feeling of being "stoned".

Psychotropic: Psychoactive

Receptor (Binding Site): Unique site on a molecule that has a specific affinity for a chemical agonist such that once the agonist is attached to the receptor subsequent biochemical processes are initiated.

Rhabdomyasarcoma: a malignant tumour of muscular origin.

Risk Assessment: The process through which all the available scientific information identified in the Hazard Assessment and the results of the Exposure Assessment are brought together to produce a description based on scientific principles of the nature and the magnitude or likelihood of adverse health effects to occur in the consumers through product use or lifestyle habits.

Risk :  The likelihood or probability that adverse health effects will occur in individuals or populations of individuals under actual conditions of exposure.

SCE:   Sister chromatid exchange, a test for genotoxicity of a chemical or substance.

s.c. Infusion:   A chemical infusion that is delivered via the subcutaneous route.

Serotonergic Neurons: Nerve cells that release the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Spermatogenesis: Biological process through which male gametes (sperm) are produced.

Standard Deviation (s.d.): A measure of the dispersion (or deviation) of a set of data from the mean.

Steady state: The condition of a system or process that has reached equilibrium over time and then does not change, or that any changes would be negligible over a specified time.

Stratum Corneum: The outermost layer of the skin, composed mostly of dead and partially keratinized epidermal cells; provides the major resistance to the absorption into circulation of chemical(s) or substances(s) deposited on the skin.