It seems like almost everyone has tried cannabis at least once these days. But, if you haven’t, we understand. The idea of being high can be intimidating, and no one should pressure you to try it. That said, if you’re thinking about using marijuana, you should know how it can make you feel and what causes those feelings Dispensary.
Humans have consumed marijuana for its psychoactive effects for thousands of years. But how exactly does this product of nature alter our perceptions? Read on to find out how and how cannabis affects our minds.
Cannabis High Chemistry
To understand how marijuana gets you high, you have to take a closer look at what you consume.
If you’ve looked closely at cannabis buds, you’ve probably noticed that they are covered in small, shiny crystalline glands. These glands are known as trichomes , and they produce a viscous resin rich in cannabinoids and terpenes .
For years, growers have bred their cannabis strains to produce a resin rich in a specific cannabinoid: THC , the main psychoactive cannabinoid. But THC does not take effect as soon as it enters the bloodstream; In fact, this molecule acts on very specific receptors so that you feel the high.
This regulatory system oversees the functions of much of our physiology, keeping everything in balance. It is composed of cannabinoid and endocannabinoid receptors [2] , signaling molecules that bind to these receptors.
One of the body’s major endocannabinoids, anandamide , binds to CB1 and CB2 receptors [3] . When it joins the former, it produces a happy mood and positive emotions, which has earned it the nickname “happiness molecule.” Scientists believe that anandamide is responsible for the “runner’s high [4] ” that athletes experience after doing aerobic exercise.
THC has a molecular structure very similar to anandamide. Therefore, it mimics the body’s endocannabinoids and binds to CB1 receptors, producing an effect similar to happiness.
When smoked, THC spreads through the lung alveoli and into the bloodstream. It then crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds to CB1 receptors on neurons throughout the brain, leading to increased production [5] of dopamine.
Journey of cannabinoids within the body
Smoked or vaped THC enters the bloodstream through diffusion: the movement of a substance from an area of high concentration to one of low concentration. Special tissues in the lungs , known as alveoli, allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide through diffusion, and THC also uses this process to access the systemic circulation.
Inhalation is not the only way to introduce THC into the body. Marijuana edibles filter this cannabinoid through the stomach and liver; a pathway known as first-pass metabolism [6] . This process converts THC into an even more potent molecule, called 11-Hydroxy-THC.
Inhaled THC enters the bloodstream in a matter of seconds, while digestion causes its effect to take much longer to appear . Regardless of this time difference, both THC and 11-Hydroxy-THC end up in the same place. The systemic circulation sends both compounds through the blood-brain barrier, since these fat-affinity molecules are small enough to access through this semipermeable barrier to the command center of the central nervous system.
When they reach their destination, the molecules go to work changing the way our neurons activate. The way we perceive day-to-day reality depends on the routine activation of neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, dopamine , serotonin , and other key chemicals. But these molecules do not maintain our normal state of consciousness during chaotic synthesis, release and degradation; A balanced system helps keep all of this under control.