More Videos Your brain on marijuana Story highlights THC stimulates the area of the brain that influences appetite Researchers see value in drugs that do the opposite, suppress appetite.
But what exactly are those cannabis-related cravings all about? Why do they happen? Well, you can blame them on the drug's active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is responsible for the "high" many people experience when using cannabis.
But it's also primarily responsible for the increase in food cravings people get when taking the drug. The brain is divided into regions: Some areas control our moods, whereas others influence our appetite, causing us to eat or stop eating. Anytime we consume a drug, it gets distributed everywhere, so when THC enters the parts of the brain that affect mood, it stimulates euphoria, explained Gary Wenk, director of neuroscience undergraduate programs at the Ohio State University and author of "Your Brain on Food.
Read More. The science behind the marijuana munchies. Though research points to various possible mechanisms, the ability of cannabis to increase appetite is "very well-documented," said Ginger Hultin, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Research involving cannabis has revealed that THC stimulates the endocannabinoid system, a complex area of the brain that regulates feeding behavior and energy balance. Photos: History of marijuana in America. Public perceptions about pot have come a long way, from the dire warnings of "Reefer Madness" to growing acceptance of medical marijuana and the legalization of recreational use.
Hide Caption. Harry Anslinger was named commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics when it was established in While arguing for marijuana prohibition, he played on Americans' fear of crime and foreigners.
He spun tales of people driven to insanity or murder after ingesting the drug and spoke of the 2 to 3 tons of grass being produced in Mexico. A poster advertises the scare film "Reefer Madness," which described marijuana as a "violent narcotic" that first renders "sudden, violent, uncontrollable laughter" on its users before "dangerous hallucinations" and then "acts of shocking violence Marijuana cigarettes are hidden in a book circa Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act in , effectively criminalizing the drug.
Even after Congress cracked down on marijuana in , farmers were encouraged to grow the crop for rope, sails and parachutes during World War II. The "Hemp for Victory" film was released in by the U. Department of Agriculture.
A woman buys ready-rolled marijuana cigarettes from a dealer at her door circa Members of the Grateful Dead talk with reporters from their home in San Francisco on October 5, The band was protesting being arrested for marijuana possession. Customs agents track the nationwide marijuana market during Operation Intercept, an anti-drug measure announced by President Nixon in The initiative intended to keep Mexican marijuana from entering the United States. Research scientist Dr. Reese T.
The specific effects differ from person to person, but a few are common. Oleson EB, et al. A brain on cannabinoids: The role of dopamine release in reward seeking. You know that time you thought you smelled a skunk, but it turned out to be someone smoking a J nearby? Those are the terpenes at work. But recently researchers have found that they can do a whole lot more than that.
It turns out that terpenes play a role in how weed hits you. Russo EB, et al. Chapter 3: Cannabis pharmacology: The usual suspects and a few promising leads. Cannabinoid Pharmacology.
This is the compound of greatest interest for medical marijuana. You need both in the product to work together. First, a quick neuroscience lesson: Your brain is made up of billions of neurons and neural circuits.
Neurons are long cells that are clustered near each other with a tiny space between their active sites. To bridge the gap or synapse between neighboring neurons, chemicals called neurotransmitters deliver messages by traveling from one neuron to another. They then attach to molecules called receptors. Your body has many types, including endocannabinoid receptors. Piomelli D. The endocannabinoid system: A drug discovery perspective.
Since the cannabinoids in marijuana look and act the same as the kind your body makes, they latch on to the cannabinoid receptors in your brain. There are two known types. First up, CB1 cannabinoids are mostly located in parts of your brain associated with learning, memory, reward, anxiety, pain, and movement control. Then there are the CB2 cannabinoids, which are associated with your immune system.
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Herbert Fuego is the resident stoner at Westword , ready to answer all your marijuana questions. Contact: Herbert Fuego. Don't Miss Out. Potheads and doctors have known for a long time that smoking weed increases appetite, said Tamas Horvath , a neurobiologist at Yale University School of Medicine. But how does a drug make people ravenously hungry?
Our brains produce their own cannabinoids, lipids that help control our appetite, mood, memory and pain reception. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, produced in marijuana latches on to cannabinoid receptors in our brain, mimicking the same chemicals.
Mice make a good model, but further research is needed to determine if this is what is happening in humans too, Horvath said.
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