Arguments pass back-and-forth over the use of cannabis and it becomes more and more hotly contested in politics today. I am not here to take a side on whether marijuana should be used for recreation uses, but I do think they have benefit when used medicinally, and there are scholarly perspectives to back that up.
When analyzing Cannabis sativa, the most common plant form, it is found to contain at least 400 chemical components, not all of which lead to the desired outcome of a ‘high’. In fact, as many of you may know, THC can be isolated and thus concentrated. New derivatives of THC are synthesized regularly, leading to similar, but slightly altered effects. A great percentage of the derived pharmacological compounds are created for the purpose of helping patients, but are hotly contested for their psychotropic effects as well as being a potential “gateway drug”. But what a lot of people don’t know, is how these act in your brain.
So…What is actually happening?
Your body has these nifty things called G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs for short) all over your cells. These proteins have the primary function of transducing extracellular stimuli into intracellular signals, which then have various effects. Turns out, cannabimimetic (cannabis-like) drugs can bind to these GPCRs, two of which have a profound significance in the brain. The first being CB1 and the second, CB2. CB1 is mainly found throughout the brain and CB2 is found with immune cells and works to modulate the immune system. Our body actually makes its own cannabinoids, termed endocannabinoids to bind to these receptors. In the act of consuming THC, you are introducing your body to endocannabinoid-like molecules, which have similar effects.
Stimulating the CB1 receptors modulates something called adenylyl cyclase, which then helps moderate how much cAMP is present, which adjusts cell activity by multiple ways, including: transferring into cells the effects of hormones like adrenaline (which cannot pass through the cell membrane), activation of protein kinases, and modulation of ion channels. Recent studies have shown that CB2 has the ability to induce apoptosis in human pancreatic tumor cells. Both CB1 and 2 have been shown to promote the apoptosis of colon cancer cells through ceramide synthesis. There are multiple other effects of endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like compounds in which current studies seek to answer.
As research continues to answer how the endocannabinoid system works, new drugs will be developed with the impact to have an effective therapeutic means to target benefits while also minimizing psychotropic effects. I feel that we will see an increase in cannabis-like drugs and their use in medicine. I repeat, I do not take a side on recreational use (as there are strong arguments for both sides), but I feel that in modifying this drug to do what we want, we can accomplish great things. It all starts with understanding the biochemistry behind the drug.
Science-ing Cannabis
