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/

Recently there has been more and more talk about the legalization of medical marijuana. There is a push for it because it can be used to treat pain, and it is less addictive than opiates. The cannabis plant (marijuana) contains molecules called cannabinoids that have many health benefits, however, many people are still against the legalization of medical marijuana because of the psychoactive (mind-altering) effects that it has.
 
What are cannabinoids?
It is important to understand the role of cannabinoids in the body. Cannabinoids that are produced naturally within our bodies are referred to as endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids are molecules synthesized from the phospholipids in the membranes of post-synaptic neurons in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
 
What do cannabinoids do in the body?
The two most common endocannabinoids are anadamide and 2- AG. Once they are synthesized, these endocannabinoids are released from the post-synaptic neuron and travel back to the pre-synaptic neuron to bind to their CB1 (in the brain) or CB2(other parts of the body) receptors and decrease the calcium influx into the pre-synaptic neuron. Blocking the influx of calcium inhibits the presynaptic neuron from releasing its neurotransmitters, thus preventing subsequent signaling.
 
Cannabinoids as treatment?
Endocannabinoids play a very important role in the inhibition of signaling throughout the body, and can therefore help do things like reduce pain, decrease anxiety, prevent seizures, stopping migraines and even killing cancer cells. Certain medications increase the effects of endocannabinoids by inhibiting the enzymes that degrade them. Other medications will target the reuptake receptors so that endocannabinoids will remain in the synaptic cleft for longer and their effects will last longer.
 
The role of marijuana
In addition to these medications, the cannabis plant (marijuana) could be used to increase the levels of cannabinoids in the body. The cannabis plant contains over 60 cannabinoids related to THC, including cannabidiol, cannabinol, and β-caryophyllene. Cannabinoids can be inhaled or ingested, and once in the body will bind to the endocannabinoid receptors in a similar fashion as the endocannabinoids. This leads to inhibition in the pre-synaptic neurons as well as the activation of pathways in the post-synaptic neurons.

Figure 1. Endocannabinoids, anadamide (AEA) and 2-AG, binding to the CB1 receptor on the pre-synaptic neuron and inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.

Figure 2. The health benefits of consuming exogenous cannabinoids such as THC and cannabidiol.
Medical marijuana?
Given this information, medical marijuana sounds like a great treatment option for many people dealing with chronic pain and other health problems. The only issue is that the current medical marijuana contains THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana. The cannabinoid THC has many health benefits, but it also produces psychoactive effects, which can prevent someone from going to work. There needs to be more research conducted to create a cannabinoid painkiller that doesn’t cause a high.
 
Improvements with treatment
There needs to be more research on finding a cannabinoid that has health benefits, but does not cause the psychoactive symptoms. Currently research is difficult for scientists because the regulations on marijuana are so strict that researchers have limited access to the plant. Marijuana is currently listed as a schedule 1 drug, along with other substances such as heroin, ecstasy and LSD, meaning it is a highly controlled substance.
 
Hope for cannabinoid medication
A better, safer form of medical marijuana needs to be developed so that the FDA will approve it and then medical insurance can cover it. Once it is safer to use, the access to it will also improve because more locations will be able to dispense it. The development and legalization of medical marijuana would be very beneficial to many people dealing with chronic pain, anxiety, migraines, seizures, and even cancer.
 
 
 
For more information on endogenous cannabinoids, please visit:
https://moodle.cord.edu/pluginfile.php/625296/mod_resource/content/0/endocannabinoids.pdf
Figure 1. Image address: https://resize.mantisadnetwork.com/mantis-ad-network/image/fetch/w_750,q_75,c_limit,f_jpg/http://uploads.medicaljane.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/health.png