Cannabis’ acceptance as a strategic medical alternative has come a long
way in the 21st century. Eighteen years removed from Canada’s establishment
of the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR –
2001)—becoming just the second country to sanction a government-run cannabis
medicinal program—research continues to demonstrate that a healthy
endocannabinoid system is a vital component of sustained human wellness. We
dive into the evidence and reasoning behind this claim.
What is the Endocannabinoid System?
First discovered by research scientist L.A. Matsuda in 1990,
the endocannabinoid system was found to be a unique system in the body
which modulates key neurological functions such as appetite, pain,
digestion, memory, and more. Unlike the other 11 major organ systems (i.e.
circulatory, respiratory, nervous, etc.), the endocannabinoid system is
thought to be the most ubiquitous of them all, residing almost
everywhere in the human body. It’s the reason why consuming cannabis yields
various psychological and physiological effects: from delivering a mental
high to regulating heart rate and intestinal inflammation.
The two most common endocannabinoid receptor types are known as CB1
and CB2. CB1 receptors are predominantly found in the brain and
nervous system, while CB2 receptors is encoded within the CNR2 gene. Although
certain cannabinoids will stimulate CB receptors to a greater degree than
others, many cannabinoids interact with both. For this reason, consuming
the whole cannabis plant—thus extracting something known as the “entourage
effect”—generally provides more medicinal value than consuming individual
cannabinoids in isolation.
When cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol
(CBD) enter the body, they easily penetrate the blood/brain barrier and
trigger chemical “messages” within synaptic areas in the brain. Cannabinoid
compounds act as signalers in this equation, while synapses are the
gatekeepers. It takes a specific “key” to potentiate the chemical reaction
between the two, which cannabis provides.
Subsequent research has shown certain cannabonoids may initiate positive physiological
responses outside the brain as well, such as a reduction of
condition-specific inflammation and cancer
cell atrophy.
Cannabis Unlocks the Endocannabinoid System Unlike All Others
The human body contains very few obsolete systems. Its complex
interoperability has evolved throughout 200,000 years of human evolution and
Darwinistic impulse. Outside of your appendix, biologists would be
hard-pressed to find other bodily systems that are present, yet serve no
purpose. By extension, it’s hard to fathom that our endocannabinoid system
evolved by accident. It’s quite natural to assume cannabis provides a
specific function within the human wellness ecosystem.
Subsequent research has proved this to be true: cannabinoids found within
cannabis simply “unlock” the endocannabinoid system in the most
efficacious way known to humankind. They do so by attaching to
cannabinoid receptors throughout the body, thus spurring receiving neurons
and synaptic processes into action.
While a thorough biological explanation is beyond this article’s scope, we
can conceptualize the process by understanding that stimulating the EC system
is a highly selective process. These reactions will not trigger
unless specific compounds initiate biological chain commands. Although
billions of neurotransmitter molecules work concurrently to keep our brains
functioning, they must be judiciously applied to initiate the appropriate
receptor expression.
In similar layman’s terms, it would be ineffective to start a Dodge Ram
with the keys of a Ford Explorer. Without the proper compounds exerting
influence on precise wellness areas, the whole process falls flat.
Final Thoughts
Is medicinal cannabis right for you? That likely depends of whether your
affliction falls within your endocannabinoid system sphere of
influence. With the total number of EC receptors thought to outpace all
other neuromodulatory receptors combined, cannabis is proving to be
a remarkably diverse therapeutic agent.
While clinical data is inconclusive in many cases, that which exists
suggests that cannabis can provide relief for various bouts of minor/moderate
pain, inflammation, insomnia, anxiety, PTSD, fibromyalgia, nausia and more.
Last Year, GW Pharmaceuticals received
FDA approval for the use of its lead CBD-based drug, Epidiolex,
on patients with Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. It marked the first
time the FDA granted such approval for any cannabinoid-based drug.
Advancing research is uncovering additional use cases by the month.
