Marijuana has been legalized in two US states including Colorado, and Washington, and Justin Trudeau began speaking to the cause this year as well. With the seemingly growing social acceptability of recreational marijuana use, should also be the growing knowledge of what marijuana does when it enters your body to make you feel ‘high’. Many times I have heard the argument of whether or not marijuana is a drug. “It’s just a plant” is what I’ve heard many enthusiasts say, but hopefully this article will shed some light on to why it is still considered to be a drug. The long-term effects of the drug/plant/herb, whatever, are so controversial, and will not be discussed in this article. Since marijuana is federally considered a drug, for simplicity the rest of the article will refer to it as such.
Marijuana is the common name for the drug from Cannbis sativa. As you may have known, the active ingredient is known as THC which stands for tetrahydrocannabinol. Smoking marijuana puts THC into your bloodstream almost immediately (and much more of it than eating, or drinking it!), and carries it to all the organs in your body, including your brain (obviously). When THC is consumed in a food or beverage, it can take 30 minutes – 1 hour for the effects to kick in, but this high can last for up to 4 hours (again, it could last longer!).
On a normal day, neurotransmitters (chemicals released when a nerve impulse occurs) in the brain actively stop dopamine from being released into the synapse (a junction between the two nerve cells in the brain). There are receptors in your brain that receive the signals from these neurotransmitters that aid in daily activities. The receptors that THC binds to are called cannabinoid receptors, or CBRs. “These receptors are found in high-density areas of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, movement, coordination, and sensory and time perception” (National Institute of Drug Abuse).
CBRs are a part of a large communication network in the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is a critical system in brain development, and function. This system is meant for endogenous cannabinoids found naturally in the body and brain, named anandamide (basically, cannabinoids that are naturally in your body). Anandamide is involved with removing unnecessary short-term memories, slowing movement, and feelings of relaxation. When the CBR is activated, dopamine is released. Anandamide breaks down quickly in the body, and this is why we don’t experience a natural ‘high’. THC does not break down easily, or quickly!
Basically, this is what happens once the THC enters your bloodstream, and your brain:
- THC mimics anandamide, and binds to the CBRs. This creates an overstimulation of these receptors (remember, THC does not break down as easily, or quickly).
- The reward system is then activated (much the same way all drugs do, and perhaps this is why it isn’t “just a plant”?), and dopamine is then released into the synapse (the gap between nerve cells in the brain, remember?).
- Now you are feeling funky, and the ‘high’ has set in. Effects can vary between different users including heightened sensory perception, laughter, altered perception of time, and increased appetite, anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.
- Once the ‘high‘ subsides, feelings of being sleepy (“burning out” in street slang), or depressed set in.
Here’s the interesting (or scary, whichever) part: if you overuse marijuana, the CBRs can change their function. Since the CBRs are now being stimulated by THC often, it replaces the anandamide, and your body will stop naturally producing it, or at least not make us much. Why would your body want to use energy stimulate these receptors when they get stimulation from something else? This is the reason that there can be withdrawal symptoms when the drug is no longer used.
Since the THC binds to the receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, the parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination, and reaction time, the user’s ability to do complicated tasks, form new memories, and shift focus is impaired. Memory impairment occurs when using marijuana because THC alters how information is processed in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory formation.
Eating or drinking THC will put you at more of a risk of experiencing acute psychosis. This means hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of the sense of personal identity.
It is important to know what exactly is happening in your body when you consume THC. Much the same way when you consume any food, drink, or medicated product, you should want to weigh the pros and cons for yourself.
Sources:
“How Does Marijuana Use Affect Your Brain and Body?” | Research Reports | National Institute on Drug Abuse.” Home | National Institute on Drug Abuse. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
“Mouse Party.” Learn.Genetics . The University of Utah.