The Rise of the Cannabis Renaissance
From time immemorial, the cannabis plant has provided us with love, light, laughter, and good sex. Ancient texts teach us that cannabis was held in high regard, a sacred medium for communing with the spirit world. Original cultures embraced cannabis euphoria as a gift from the gods.
Today, we are in the midst of a cannabis renaissance. As more countries and states move to legalize the plant and normalize its use, some are befuddled as to why this movement is essential. Others will condemn cannabis “reefer madness” style until the day they die. There’s no reasoning that will shift their paradigm, but it’s of little consequence to the rest of the world’s growing mindset.
And in between the naysayers and the evangelists lie a section of individuals, often referred to as the Canna Curious, who feel compelled to explore the ways cannabis can heal ailments but don’t understand how or why this could be a long-term solution for their medical issues.
Cannabis has a System
We all have an endogenous (“from within”) cannabinoid (“inner cannabis”) signaling network inside us. This ancient complex cell-signaling system is called the endocannabinoid system or the ECS. Cannabis works in conjunction with the ECS.
Humans naturally produce endocannabinoids. Author and pediatrician, Dr. Bonni Goldstein calls them our “inner cannabis” molecules. Made in response to problems in our cells, they work locally via multiple signaling pathways to correct imbalance. These molecules interact with receptors throughout the entire body.
The ECS was named after the cannabis plant because of its interrelationship with the molecules found within the trichomes of the cannabis flower.
As science began to unravel the ECS, some researchers have come to believe this system is perhaps the most important physiological system involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Either by itself or enhanced with cannabis.
Let’s delve into some of the basics of endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids and see how they interact within the ECS regarding mood.
Endocannabinoids Make us Happy
It was recently discovered that a flood of endocannabinoids, anandamide specifically, rather than endorphins cross the blood-brain barrier and reward us with improved mood, decreased pain, and less anxiety after a good workout.
That same boost of endocannabinoids is responsible for that state of being enraptured when playing music, dancing, surfing, painting, rollerblading, or doing any other activity that makes time fluid.
It’s interesting to know this but it’s also useful. Here’s why-THC basically mimics and augments the therapeutic and euphoric actions of these naturally occurring molecules.
While our inner cannabis molecules can make us happy, their signal is too weak to induce the mind alteration effects of THC. If heightened awareness is what you are seeking, external cannabis is required.
Here’s How it Works
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) stimulates dopamine to allow the body to experience a high, much like other drugs, but in a very nuanced way.
Dopamine is released when we expect or receive a reward. Upon release, dopamine floats in the tiny spaces between neurons until it aligns with a receptor.
But here’s the twist, there are no CB1 cannabinoid receptors on dopamine neurons. So THC takes an indirect route in order to increase your dopamine levels.
THC signals the CB1 receptors on the GABA neurons to stop. Inhibition of GABA will cause a natural spike in the dopamine neurons and this is how we experience cannabis euphoria.
This high’s complexity is inconsistent with other drugs that instead put a chokehold on the dopaminergic receptors and refuse to let go until that receptor is bled dry. This is a harmful high that fosters addictive lifestyles.
Now more than ever, we have a true understanding of cannabis’s beneficial health properties. If consuming cannabis for health becomes a goal, exploring how it best fits into your routine is exciting because of the added mind-alteration aspect of this complex molecule.
Understanding How to Properly Dose
Regarding dosing, it is important to remember that every individual’s tolerance level is widely variable due to our different biological and environmental factors. If you are new to cannabis medicine and decide to introduce it at a low and slow pace, you may not feel the more radical effects immediately. However, staying at this introductory pace is an important phase.
During the first two weeks of cannabis treatment, you will “sensitize” your ECS as to how many receptors it is going to need which is why it’s often recommended that you start low and go slow.
Realistically, many do not listen to this advice, so finding the right formula for you is part of the experimentation process.
Recent Study Provides a Benchmark
A recent study of forty-two cannabis smokers at the University of Chicago provided a rough dosing guide. Study participants who smoked 7.5 mg of THC reportedly felt less stressed during a mock interview, and any stress they experienced dissipated faster. Those who smoked 12.5 mg of THC reported feeling challenged and threatened throughout the interview.
If you know the number of grams of dried cannabis and the percentage of THC in that joint, then you can figure out how many milligrams of THC you are about to ingest.
For example, if a marijuana joint contains one gram of the plant bud that has a 15% THC content, it can be calculated that the entire joint would have 150 mg THC. While some THC will get destroyed during the burn process, and the inhalation techniques will vary, smoking the entire marijuana joint will most likely cause feelings of paranoia.
Here are a few tips for those who experience paranoia during experimentation with cannabis: Enjoy the experience as much as you can because it will pass and facing your fears is useful. Anecdotally, many have said ingesting lemon zest or chamomile tea helps reduce the feeling of being too high. Taking CBD is known to decrease THC-induced anxiety.
Unless you have tolerance and are accustomed to cannabis, any strain with 30 to 40 mg of THC that doesn’t have very much CBD present is more likely to cause stress than relaxation. In fact, in one study, over-intoxication has been reported after 20 mg of oral administration of THC in 5 of 21 healthy volunteers.
Biphasic Effects Control Dosing
Marijuana can be biphasic, meaning it can cause opposite effects. Essentially, symptoms (such as anxiety) can be relieved by a small dose of cannabis but are also easily activated and exaggerated at a higher dose. This means that ingesting cannabis is always a bit of an exploratory process.
According to Dr. Dustin Sulak, “This interesting phenomenon, known as bidirectional effects, is related to the function of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). In order for the ECS to be able to maintain cellular balance, it has the capacity to influence physiology in opposite directions. For example, if there is too much brain activity, cannabinoids can decrease it, but if there’s not enough, cannabinoids can increase activity. By overstimulating the ECS, patients can accidentally trigger or worsen the same symptoms cannabis would otherwise relieve when used correctly.”
Let’s explore the bidirectionality of THC-induced anxiety by introducing the second most prevalent cannabinoid in the cannabis plant — cannabidiol or CBD.
How Cannabis Helps with Stress
THC works by relieving stress and anxiety, especially in the amygdala, which has a lot of receptors for THC. This area of the brain regulates anxiety and the fight or flight response. As you start imbibing in THC, you will feel relaxed. However, the higher the dosage, the more likely it is to cause anxiety because you may accidentally trip that fight or flight response. This is why many cannabis educators and practitioners teach the importance of balancing THC with CBD.
The ECS is constantly managing stress because it understands (remember it’s an ancient healing network) that if you don’t handle your stress levels, you will eventually be coping with the physiological imbalance that leads to disease states. Stress burns out our ECS. If you are experiencing burnout related to a stressful lifestyle, this would be a good case scenario to supplement your ECS with a balanced CBD/THC ratio.
Genevieve R. Moore, Ph.D. writer and for Foria, wrote in their blog: “Within the brain, CBD can mimic serotonin by binding and activating your body’s 5-HT1A serotonin receptors — likely a major contributor to CBD’s anti-anxiety properties.”
Yet targeting the serotonin receptors is also associated with improved cognition, decreased aggression, increased sociability, decreased impulsivity, inhibition of drug-seeking behavior, and facilitation of sex drive and arousal.
Now, how many of you are thinking, “Oh man, I wanna hit that receptor!”? Well, now you can with CBD! CBD is said to influence a wide variety of nervous system disorders. This has undoubtedly added to CBD’s mythological status as a cure-all.
Think about it though: improving the quality of life will typically lessen feelings of anxiety which then leads to more restorative sleep patterns and less negativity. This then leads to less depression which in turn improves mood and increases motivation. This cycle then leads each of us to seek out behaviors that help improve our overall quality of life.
Overall, the cannabis renaissance is an exciting time for anyone curious about the potential health benefits associated with both the CBD and THC properties of the plant. The most important aspect for a new user to remember is to do their research, experiment at their own pace, and enjoy the journey. After all, it was originally utilized as a sacred way to connect to the earth and beyond.
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