For centuries, humans have been using substances to alter their state of mind.
From caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol to more extreme drugs.
But as the most commonly used illicit drug in North America,
Where does marijuana fit in
and how exactly does it affect your brain?
First, we need to understand how the brain functions.
Neurons are the cells that process information in the brain.
By releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters
from the axon of one neuron to the dendrite of another
they change the electrical charge of the receiving neuron
consequently exciting or inhibiting it.
If excited, the signal is passed on.
Though it sounds simple these signals work together
and the effect is quickly compouned into complex configurations within milliseconds
flashing over the entire brain.
This is what happens every single time you think, breathe or move.
So what is going on inside your brain when you’re smoking marijuana?
Well unlike alcohol, which contains molecules nothing like those in our body,
cannabis contains molecules that resemble those produced in our very own brains:
cannabonoids.
Although naturally these cannabonoids circulate at much lower quantities
compared to the large influx imposed by smoking,
specifically the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol
or THC
resembles a natural transmitter called “anandamide”.
These cannabonoids are specialized neurotransmitters
released by neurons having just fired.
Neurons temporarily become unresponsive after firing
to prevent them from overracting or being too dominant.
This allows your brain to function in a calm and controlled manner.
But cannabonoids interrupt this approach in some parts of the brain.
Instead, they remove the refractory period of neurons that are already active
and can cause your thoughts, imagination, and perception to utterly magnify itself.
This means, once you begin your train of thought
it becomes the most significant and profound thing ever.
You can’t see the big picture or even recall your last epiphany
because you’re caught up in the momentum of a particular idea
and your neurons keep firing
until a new idea takes hold and you go off on a new tangent.
These cannabonoids also affect the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in your brain
often leading to a sense of euphoria, relaxation, pain modulation
and general enhancement of an experience,
though sometimes causing anxiety.
Furthermore, there are cannabonoid receptors
in areas controlling short-term memory, learning, coordination, movement control
and higher cognitive functions.
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