Marijuana, also known as cannabis among other names, is a preparation of the plant Cannabis sativa, intended for recreational and medicinal uses.
Marijuana can be consumed, smoked, inhaled, or mixed with food. The main psychoactive chemical is delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol or THC. There is a wide variety of pages where you can see cannabis seeds.
The cannabis plant preparation also contains at least 65 other components that are chemically related to THC, called cannabinoids.
THC is chemically similar to a class of substances found naturally in our nervous system called endocannabinoids, of which the anandamide is the best known so far.
Endocannabinoids are part of a recently discovered system called "The Endocanabinoid System" or SEC.
The human brain contains billions of neurons that communicate through chemical messages, or neurotransmitters. When a neuron is stimulated enough, a neurotransmitter is released into the synaptic cleft what is a space between neurons.
The neurotransmitter then binds to its receptor in a neighboring neuron, generating a signal in it and thus transmitting the information to that neuron. Neural communication is essential for all brain functions.
The endocannabinoid system acts as a modulator of this neurotransmission. When the postsynaptic neuron is activated, endocannabinoids are produced, released, and travel back to the presynaptic neuron where they activate cannabinoid receptors.
By doing so, they control what happens next when the presynaptic cell it is stimulated again. The general effect is a decrease in the release of neurotransmitters such as GABA or glutamate. In other words, the SEC acts as a brake by slowing down neural activities and preventing neurons from firing excessively..
The mode of action of THC is, however, different from that of other drugs: it induces the dopamine release indirectly by eliminating the inhibitory action of GABA on dopaminergic neurons.
The endocannabinoid system is also involved in many other mental and bodily activities, including memory and learning, appetite and sleep patterns, immune functions and fertility.
Endocannabinoids are short-acting transmission substances. They are synthesized on demand and their use is quickly terminated by specific enzymes.
The amount of endocannabinoid messengers is tightly regulated according to the needs of the body. This regulation is essential for a modulator that acts to fine-tune brain activities..
Marijuana users consume a much higher amount of THC. THC is also more stable than endocannabinoids and can remain in the body for a longer period of time. THC overwhelms the endocannabinoid system, overriding normal brain functions.
Because cannabinoid receptors are present in many parts of the brain and body, the effects of THC are very wide.
It can slow down a person's reaction time, which could alter driving or athletic skills, disrupt short-term memory and higher mental processes, which could affect learning abilities and judgment.
High doses of THC can also lead to reverse effects. For example, while small doses of cannabinoids seem reduce stress, anxiety and panic, high doses can promote a greater sense of stress and fear.
Using smoked marijuana in youth can also damage the lungs to a degree similar to smoking cigarettes..
Substantial evidence in animal studies indicates that exposure to marijuana can cause long-term adverse changes in the brain.
Rats exposed to THC before birth, shortly after birth, or during young age show significant difficulties with certain learning and memory tasks later in life.
The long-term effects of marijuana in humans are still debated mainly due to the limitations of conducting these investigations in humans..
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