Inheritance of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol seizure susceptibility in rabbits.

Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, causes nonfatal convulsions in rabbits of a closed colony of New Zealand White rabbits (Uaz: NZW). The convulsive phenotype appears to be associated with homozygous expression of a single autosomal recessive gene with full penetrance. We propose the symbol thc for the gene responsible for this condition. We also propose that this closed colony of New Zealand White rabbits at the University of Arizona, in which the thc gene is segragating, be designated Uaz:NZW-thc.