Primary and Secondary Plant Metabolites

Since the end of the second world war, we have been taught that the cannabis plant is a dangerous drug.  In addition, information on the health benefits contained in many other plants have been denied as being effective.  The reason for these actions was for the purpose of protecting the profits of the emerging pharmaceutical industry. The curative actions found in plants and particularly the cannabis plant, are the pharmaceutical industry's biggest threat and competition.

In order to understand the health benefits of plants, it is necessary to understand primary and secondary plant metabolites.  The cannabinoids found in the cannabis plants are considered secondary metabolites.

Primary metabolites are made up of a number of different types of organic compounds, including, but not limited to, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. . They are found universally in the plant kingdom because they are the primary components necessary for the plants survival.

Secondary metabolites, on the other hand, are not necessarily required for a plant's survival rather, they are responsible for a plant to thrive. It has only been since the late twentieth century that secondary metabolites have been clearly recognized as having important functions in plants however, they are not fully understood. Many thousands of secondary metabolites have been isolated from plants, and many of them have powerful physiological effects in humans and are used as medicines such as cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. 

A more detailed discussion on secondary plant metabolites can be found at the following link:

http://lifeofplant.blogspot.ca/2011/03/metabolites-primary-vs-secondary.html

Cannabinoids and Secondary Plant Metabolites

The Cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant are considered plant secondary metabolites. 

 In order to have a full understanding of the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, it is necessary to understand what exactly plant secondary metabolites are.  Having an understanding of plant secondary metabolites will increase one's appreciation of the medicinal and essential benefits of the cannabinoids unique to the cannabis plant.  It may also help us to understand the great threat this plant posed to the pharmaceutical industry in its infancy.

The distinction between basic and secondary plant metabolism was introduced by A. Kossel in 1891. The term basic metabolism comprises all pathways necessary for the survival of plant cells, while secondary plant products occur usually only in special, differentiated plant cells and are not necessary for the survival of the cells themselves but may be useful for the plant as a whole. Examples of plant secondary metabolites include cannabinoids and terpenes both of which are found in the cannabis plant. The beautiful scent of a rose is due to its secondary metabolites.

Plant secondary metabolites are very complex and they are not fully understood in the scientific community due to their complexity.  Although these secondary compounds are common, not all plants can produce all products, if any,  since certain specific secondary metabolites are usually only found in a single species while others are found in a group of related species. The one thing that is certain respecting plant secondary metabolites is the fact that the compounds are often only generated during a specific developmental period of the plant species. Many secondary compounds possess signalling functions that enable them to influence the activities of other cells, control their metabolic activities and also co-ordinate the development of the plant as a whole.  Other substances such as the color of the flower serve to communicate with pollinators such as bees. 

This blog begins the discussion on secondary plant metabolites.  In order to fully appreciate all that cannabinoids offer, one must understand what plant secondary metabolites are.  The next blog will continue this quest.

Cannabis Prohibition

The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is the international treaty from 1961, that is responsible for the mandating of nations to develop legislation to prohibit production and supply of specific narcotic drugs except under license for specific purposes, such as medical treatment and research. This international treaty was adamant with each nation developing drug laws and respecting cannabis "the use of cannabis for other than medical and scientific purposes must be discontinued as soon as possible."


Due to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, billions of dollars continue to be wasted each year enforcing the prohibition of a plant whose use, over the prior thousands of years, and across numerous cultures worldwide, has never led to a single documented fatality.


When Uruguay announced that the country is passing legislation that allows the use of cannabis for other than medical or scientific use, the announcement has created a kerfuffle with those behind the United Nations and other International Bodies such as the International Narcotic Control Board.


The following press announcement should shed light on the control behind the cannabis plant:


"VIENNA, 11 December 2013 (UN Information Service) - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) regrets that the legislation to legalize production, sale and consumption of cannabis for non-medical purposes approved yesterday in Uruguay contravenes the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, to which Uruguay is a party.


The President of the INCB, Raymond Yans said he was "surprised that a legislative body that has endorsed an international law and agreements, and a Government that is an active partner in international cooperation and in the maintenance of the international rule of law, knowingly decided to break the universally agreed and internationally endorsed legal provisions of the treaty".


Mr. Yans also recalled that "the main aim of the 1961 Single Convention is to protect the health and welfare of humankind. Cannabis is controlled under the 1961 Convention, which requires States Parties to limit its use to medical and scientific purposes, due to its dependence-producing potential."

According to the President, "the decision of the Uruguayan legislature fails to consider its negative impacts on health since scientific studies confirm that cannabis is an addictive substance with serious consequences for people's health. In particular, the use and abuse of cannabis by young people can seriously affect their development."


Cannabis is not only addictive but may also affect some fundamental brain functions, IQ potential, and academic and job performance and impair driving skills. Smoking cannabis is more carcinogenic than smoking tobacco. The President of INCB is therefore surprised that "available scientific evidence, including that presented to the parliamentary committees by Uruguay's own scientific community, was not taken into consideration by the legislators" and that the stated aim of the legislation, to reduce crime, "relied on rather precarious and unsubstantiated assumptions".


Such a decision "will not protect young people but rather have the perverse effect of encouraging early experimentation, lowering the age of first use, and thus contributing to developmental problems and earlier onset of addiction and other disorders," Mr. Yans said.


The international drug control conventions recognize that drug dependent people need to be assisted with appropriate services and not be penalized. In fact, the Conventions recommend treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration as an alternative to imprisonment.


The Board regrets that the Government of Uruguay did not respond to INCB to engage in a dialogue prior to further consideration of the law. In discharging its mandate, the Board is committed to an ongoing dialogue with all governments, including the Government of Uruguay, to ensure universal application of the three international drug control conventions. INCB reiterates its call to the Government of Uruguay to engage with the Board with a view to ensure that Uruguay continues to respect and implement the treaties to which it is a Party.


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INCB is the independent, quasi-judicial body charged with promoting and monitoring Government compliance with the three international drug control conventions: the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.


For further information, please contact:



INCB Secretariat
Telephone for media inquiries: (+43-1) 26060 4163
Email: secretariat[at]incb.org
Website: www.incb.org"