When many people hear the acronym THC, they think of the illegal (in most places) drug marijuana. But the article Endogenous cannabinoids revisited: A biochemistry perspective sheds light on how this psychoactive chemical has led to research into naturally occurring cannabinoids in the human body and how their regulation can be beneficial. The system of receptors in the human brain that responds to THC and other cannabinoids is the endocannabinoid system. This system was discovered after researchers took a look at the way in which THC worked in the brain. As a result, many molecules were made to resemble THC and were used to help understand its psychotropic properties.
What I personally find most interesting from this article is the fact that researchers found a system of receptors, occurring naturally, in the brain that works by binding molecules very similar to THC. It makes one think, if there is a natural purpose for molecules similar to THC, is THC really all that bad for a human? The article goes on to describe pathways and signaling of two molecules very similar in structure to THC, AEA and 2-AG. These two molecules are present in human brains and are used for pain relief, motor control, stimulation of appetite, and inhibition of cell growth. The article goes on to talk about similarities between both the structures and effects of these naturally occurring compounds, AEA and 2-AG, and THC, the dangerous, illegal active ingredient in marijuana.
When looking at how similar these substances are, it wouldn’t be extraordinary to question why marijuana is not used more frequently for medical purposes. Since it shares many characteristics of naturally occurring molecules, the side effects of THC and marijuana on the body seem minimal when compared to other prescription drugs. Many drugs prescribed on a daily basis come with a long list of cautions warning people about possible negative side effects, but the review article we read for the week explained how there seem to be few consequences of consuming marijuana for pain relief or to help regulate appetite.
People opposed to the use of medical marijuana may combat the argument of its therapeutic effects with its addictive nature. The informed person knows that many prescription medications have a high risk of causing addiction. Many people become addicted to sleep aids and pain killers that were legitimately prescribed to them to deal with some sort of condition. But yet there is much less of a stigma of proper use of these drugs than there is for legitimate use of marijuana for medical purposes. It seems to me that by the general public insisting that marijuana is not suitable for actual medical use, we are missing out on a potent source of natural pain alleviation.
In my opinion, with all of the information this paper was able to provide about the naturally occurring endocannabiniod family of receptors, it would be more useful to figure out a way in which we can harvest the rich medicinal use of THC from marijuana (or other forms of THC) in a responsible manner. Worrying about the minimal side effects and possibility of addiction seem to be clouding the vision of many people who could be working towards more safe, natural drugs that can do the same things synthetic ones can do. So yes, you are correct in thinking marijuana is illegal in many of the states in the US, but according to the research presented in this week’s article, it would also be correct and easy to ask why it isn’t used more in modern medicine.
