You may think weed is only about the high, but there is so much more to learn! There are many Cannabis facts that weed dispensaries near me haven’t revealed which you need to know.
Cannabis Class: 12 Surprising Cannabis Facts You Didn’t Know About!
Did you know that the cannabis we smoke is not the same as 100 years ago? Our modern cannabis has been selectively bred to contain more THC and less CBD, which have unique effects on your mind and body.
If you’re like most Americans, the reason why you consume cannabis is to alter your state of mind. You might want to speed up or slow down or maybe even stop thinking so much. Many people describe happiness and relaxation when using cannabis, while others can become paranoid, anxious, depressed, or hallucinate. How do these mood changes happen?
Cannabis and Mood Swings
Although external factors can influence your mood, whether or not you take home a paycheck or finish all of your work for the day, much of our emotions are driven by the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin flows between neurons in your brain and helps to determine how you feel at any given time. Sometimes serotonin moves quickly and easily, resulting in a generally positive mood. Other times serotonin moves more slowly and produces feelings of sadness or anxiety. The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a role in your feelings as well. If you feel a “rush” when using cannabis, it increases dopamine levels that change the balance between how much pleasure you experience and how much pain.
Cannabis can act as an antidepressant by boosting serotonin levels in the brain, increasing dopamine secretion, and reducing the amount of cortisol (a stress hormone) that your body makes. Most antidepressants on the market increase serotonin. They do not raise dopamine levels or decrease cortisol production, which is just one reason why medication alone cannot be the only form of treatment that a depressed person may need.
CBD and Schizophrenia
CBD, a cannabinoid found in cannabis, can slow down how quickly your neurons pass serotonin back and forth, which is one reason why it is effective as an antipsychotic medication for those with schizophrenia. Those who suffer from frequent nightmares might benefit from consuming CBD as it seems to inhibit the recall of bad memories. Think of it this way, CBD can make your brain produce less cortisol which means you’ll have fewer flashbacks of emotional trauma.
Cannabis Facts: THC
Cannabis contains over 400 chemical compounds – including 120 different cannabinoids such as Tetrahydrocannabinol, Cannabidiol, Δ-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and Cannabinol. When it comes to the euphoric feeling you experience when smoking weed, this is caused by THC binding to your CB1 receptors in the brain.
Nowadays, medical cannabis is mainly used for chronic pain relief and alleviating nausea. However, in other parts of the world, cannabis is still used for its anti-inflammatory properties. It has been reported to inhibit cancer cell growth and even potentially reduce seizures in children with epilepsy.
CBD and Natural Healing
On the other hand, CBD (cannabidiol) can act as an anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antioxidant, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic agent. It also helps to stop the growth of cancer cells by inhibiting their progression.
So what’s the deal? The cannabis we smoke today is different from the weed that our grandparents smoked. The reason for this is that growers have been selectively breeding their plants to contain more THC and less CBD over time, as customers prefer the more potent high associated with THC, which causes hallucinogenic effects such as hallucinations and paranoia.
However, CBD (the non-psychoactive ingredient) has recently become extremely popular for being used in medical applications to treat a wide variety of ailments – ranging from pain relief to reducing the growth of cancer cells.
Cannabis Fossils
The Stone Age wasn’t just for stone-age people (who knew?!). The use of cannabis goes back further than 10 000 years ago when weed was first used in China and Taiwan. Cannabis has been found in fossils! In the tombs of shamans, who lived around 2, 500 BC, dried seeds were found, making them 600 years older than what experts initially thought.
Summary of Cannabis Facts
To summarize, our modern-day cannabis provides more psychoactive effects than recreational users generally prefer, and medical marijuana with less THC is mainly used for chronic pain relief.
Did you know that the cannabis we smoke is not the same as 100 years ago? Our modern cannabis has been selectively bred to contain more THC and less CBD, which have unique effects on your mind and body. So if you’re looking into treating a particular ailment with medical marijuana, you might consider doing some research into whether CBD or THC would be more suitable for your condition.
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