We have all heard about marijuana somewhere in our social realm. Whether it is recreational or medicinal use, we all know someone who uses marijuana and either benefits from it or just enjoys its “relaxing” effects. Articles flood Facebook, Twitter, our news feeds, TVs and we accumulate our own ideas about the illegal but maybe-beneficial-maybe-not drug. So, let’s get gritty about the real details behind the biochemistry of marijuana (cannabis) in our brains and bodies and see where that can take us.
Biochemistry of Weed
Our bodies naturally produce and metabolize dozens of endocannabinoids such as lipid-derived molecules, 2-AG and anandamide. These fat-like molecules move around in our bodies and brains and bind to receptors called CB1 and CB2 receptors. There are many classes of receptors that play different physiological roles in our bodies. The CB1 and CB2 receptors are called G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and they have many long-term effects on the body most of which are stimulatory. When an endocannabinoid (made in our bodies) or a cannabinoid (found in marijuana) binds a receptor, the pathway that is normally activated in GPCRs is inhibited. Therefore, a stimulatory molecule, cAMP, is now rendered inactive. This causes many cellular changes such as overall less activity in our brains (relaxation) and apoptosis. Apoptosis is a fancy word for cell death. This process, induced by endocannabinoids and cannabinoids, alike is incredibly beneficial in cancer or tumor growth. Apoptosis occurs due to binding of the cannabinoid followed by an accumulation of ceramide synthesis which induces a stress response in the cell. The cellular stress response is to essentially kill itself. In cancers like breast and colon, direct cell death occurs. Apoptosis can greatly affect tumor growth due to cancerous cells. But, too much relaxation and the psychoactive effects of THC can be harmful to everyday activities.
Implications
Hopefully, when we listen to the morning news or scroll through our social media feeds, we can now know a little bit of the science behind cannabis. It really does have effects on the brain which can be bad for everyday use and everyday life. But, it also has beneficial effects on life threatening diseases such as cancer. Therefore, before we decide whether it should be legal or not, we should think about the certain cases that cannabis can be harmful or helpful. Obviously, there are many economic factors associated with drug use and cannabis requires much more research. Nonetheless, if we can understand a little more about the drug it may spark more conversation and maybe some drastic changes in one direction (research) or the other (legalization).
https://www.journals.elsevier.com/prostaglandins-and-other-lipid-mediators/
Spark the “Weed” Conversation
