Evening star., 1938-12-07
Need|e-in-haystatk
Hunt Begun for Drug
Element Of Mariijuana
Chemists Seek Minute
Bit of Substance From
Ton Of Hemp

Out of a ton of raw hemp plant
Treasury chemists are trying to find
the minute amount of pure sub
stance which for more than 1000
years has been one of the most
potent affecters of human behavior
known.
All the time no one has known
precisely what it is, according to
DR.. H. J. Wollner, consulting chem
ist Of the Treasury. Yesterday
group of some of the country's fore
most chemists and pharmacologists
met here to discuss the problems
afforded by the drug-now known
popularity as marijuana-which Is
inhaled in cigarette smoke, is sup
posed to have some relation to the
increase in crime and may lead to
one form of insanity.
Whatever the potent principle is,
It was explained, it must constitute
only the minutest fraction of the
actual material of the hemp.
AS preliminary step in the pres
ent investigation DR.. Harold Blatt,
professor of chemistry at Howard
University. has made an exhaustive
survey of the present status of
knowledge on marijuana. Thus far,
DR.. Blatt found, the Intoxicating
effect has been traced only as far
as a material known as crude can
nabinol. When this is split up, how
ever, and the majority of the ma
rinl 70
principle still remains in the minute
residue, presumably quite complex,
which chemical methods used in the
past have not been able to separate
any further.
Vacuum Still Is Used.
The first step in the present in
vestigation has been to separate
from the hemp the crude fiber and
other cellulose material and pro-
ceed by series of heat Installations
to split up the remainder into finer
and finer pure substances. This work
1t was explained, necessarily Is very
slow.
For the final step high vacuum
molecular still has been set up. In
the ordinary type of still, an i'm
proved form of which has been used
In the Installations up to the pres
ent, heat must be applied to sub
stance until that part of it which
has the lowest boiling. point changes
into vapor. This vapor passes
against cold surface, where it is
recongealed into liquid. Before the
vapor can be formed the molecules
of liquid must be sufficiently agi-
tated by heat to overcome the pres
sure of air holding them down.
In the high vacuum still there will
be no such pressure, SO that the
materials forming the puzzling resi-
due will vaporize with minimum
of heat. BY this means it is possible
to make very delicate separations,
and the substance escapes whatever
changes it might suffer due to be-
ing heated.
Dose Can't Be Standardized.
At present, it was stressed, the
drug is of no use to anybody ex-
cept as "joy smoke" One reason
no use ever has been made of it in
medicine, in spite of its undoubtedly
potent effects, is that it is impossi-
BILE to standardize dose, since no.
body knows the nature of the stuff
causing the actual effects.
The scientists gathered here yes
terday told of researches they are
conducting in Laboratories all over
the country on the chemistry,
pharmacology and psychological ef-
re Nf O r
most notable of these are under
way at the Cornell University Medi-
cal School under the direction of
DR.. S. Loewe, who discussed them
with other pharmacologists.
DR.. Loves tests are being made,
1t was explained, with short-haired
dogs, about the only animals with
approximately the same susceptible
ity to the drug as man. Dach-
shunds prove the best subjects of
all and develop typical marijuana
jags in which they become very
excited, seem to have. grand and
glorious feeling and partly lose the
ability to coordinate their leg
movements.
Victims Aware of Stagger.
This latter effect, it was explained,
Is shared by marijuana and alcohol.
The alcohol drunk" however, does
not know that he is staggering all
over the street after he has passed
q certain point, whereas the person
who has taken marijuana always is
aware of it and makes fantastic
efforts to control his movements.
At the Treasury Department, 1t
was announced yesterday, an ex-
tremely delicate test has been de-
vised to detect very minute amounts
of the drug, such as might be found
In a cigarette butt introduced in
evidence in a criminal case
All the scientists gathered here
yesterday, it was explained. are
working on generally co-ordinated
program in cooperation with the
Treasury, although no actual or
ganization has been formed. The
problem will be studied, DR.. Wollner
said, from the agricultural, CONNER
cial and sociological angles, as well
as from the chemical, since it is
recognized that hemp itself is an
important crop, and that marijuana
cannot be controlled by prohibiting
its growth.