Benefits of marijuana on your body and your brain

The illegalization of marijuana has impeded that its therapeutic effects can be studied in depth, but the winds are changing and the evidence for its therapeutic use accumulates in a multitude of ailments


Have you heard about the rush on the corridor? It is the state of euphoria that occurs when exercising. The famous endorphins that are segregated with sport produce greater resistance to pain and a sense of relaxation, but the euphoria and well-being come in reality from another brain drug : anandamide , an endocannabinoid. To understand us, marijuana that makes your own brain .

Like many other drugs, marijuana contains substances that resemble our natural neurotransmitters. In this case it is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, which has the same effect on our brain as anandamide: short-term, feeling of well-being and amplification of pleasurable sensations, elevation of the pain threshold, and also some interference with the formation of memories and with motor functions.


But marijuana also contains another substance called cannabidiol or CBD, which when it reaches the brain increases the levels of another endogenous neurotransmitter called 2-AG, which deals with the regulation of appetite (hence the hunger that the joints give), and much more important, the immune system and the regulation of pain . THC is psychotropic, and it is the part of cannabis that gives you the "recreational" effects. CBD does not produce these effects, but it does affect the functions of the brain and health in general, in many cases in a beneficial way.

So we find a plant that contains active ingredients that turn on and off chemical switches in the brain mimicking our own neurotransmitters. The bad news is that this plant is illegal. The good news is that it is getting closer the time when its use is normalized for the treatment of many diseases.

Effects of marijuana on your body and your brain
The damn plant cures cancer

In Spain cannabis is decriminalized and, socially, quite accepted, although activities such as trafficking or cultivation with the intention of selling are persecuted. In the United States, 29 of the states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Unfortunately, as it is an illegal substance for many years, studies on cannabis in health are scarce. This is what we know at the moment:

Relieve anxiety, or not
The use of marijuana in moderation induces feelings of relaxation, but from a certain dose, instead of reducing anxiety, it produces it . It is the sad experience of whoever ate that cannabis cake and has felt great at first, but as the digestion continued and the blood THC levels increased, they found themselves living a nightmare of nerves and cramps (the author of this article knows it because it has been told by a friend). The perfect dose to have relaxing effects depends on the people and their tolerance to the drug, and varies between 7.5 and 12.5 milligrams of THC.

Treatment of chronic pain
After reviewing many studies, the report of the National Academy of Science in the USA concluded that the treatment of chronic pain was the main use of cannabis , and the reason why many people consumed it by medical indication. These effects depend on both THC and CBD. It is also effective against muscle spasms, for example of the diaphragm, that do not respond to other medications.

Possible treatment of glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease in which the pressure inside the eye increases, damaging the optic nerve and at risk of vision loss. Since the 70s there are studies that prove that the use of marijuana relieves intraocular pressure for several hours, and can be used for the short-term treatment of glaucoma. The treatment has the side effects of the use of marijuana, and is not better or worse than other medications on the market , so a more durable and less invasive treatment is being developed from the plant.

Does not affect lung capacity in moderate amounts
It is well known that smoking tobacco always reduces lung capacity, but it seems that marijuana does not, unless it is mixed with tobacco, of course. In a study at the University of Los Angeles it was found that at low levels of consumption, marijuana seemed to increase lung capacity. Of course, when smoking similar amounts, it decreased.

Treatment for epilepsy
Cannabidiol, or CBD, the non-psychotropic component of marijuana, can help control epileptic seizures in children and adolescents, according to a study published by The Lancet. This also coincides with observations of patients who used cannabis on their own to improve symptoms, and with fewer side effects.

It can slow the development of cancer and alleviate the effects of chemotherapy
The same CBD component can slow the development of breast cancer according to the study of the University of San Francisco . Other studies with mice have shown that THC also slows the growth of tumors , and another more recent, combining CBD and THC, found that adding it to radiation therapy was more effective treatment for the development of glioma, the most common brain tumor . However, these results have not yet been replicated in humans.

Cancer patients treated with chemotherapy suffer from nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. Several studies have shown that smoking marijuana or using THC-based drugs can alleviate these symptoms .

Treatment for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis
Cannabis, and more specifically smoking marijuana, has beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases. THC slows down the development of amyloid plaques that form in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's, and therefore slow down the disease. The mixture of CBD and THC can also help to conserve memory and dronabinol, another cannabinoid, can reduce behavioral disorders in Alzheimer's patients. Multiple sclerosis patients who smoked marijuana also saw their muscle spasms and pain reduced , and in the case of Parkinson's, it also helped reduce tremors and pain in a study at Tel Aviv University .

Treatment of post-traumatic stress and schizophrenia
In the US, post-traumatic stress syndrome is the most common reason for prescribing marijuana to patients. The study with veterans indicates that it reduces feelings of fear and anxiety. Marijuana also reduces nightmares in these patients as it disturbs the sleep cycles where they occur. Other studies indicate that CBD relieves the attacks of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Where are the risks?
Like any substance, including water and common salt, cannabis has risks, but it may not be what you think. Marijuana seems to negatively affect concentration and memory, but studies have found that these effects are not permanent and disappear when it is stopped. However, the effects can be lasting if you start to use marijuana as a teenager. One study found that the cognitive abilities of subjects who had started smoking younger had been affected, but not so for those who started smoking as adults. This is not necessarily because of the drug, but because of the associated environmental factors.

Not so addictive

Marijuana does not seem to be particularly addictive either. To begin with, addiction is a psychological problem that does not necessarily depend on the substance , but on the emotional lack that the substance is supplying.   According to statistics, 9% of people who smoke marijuana become addicted, compared with 32% of those who smoke tobacco or 20% of those who snort cocaine. However, the percentage of addiction is doubled for those who start smoking in adolescence . It is in this age where the greatest risks of cognitive deficiencies and lower academic performance occur, hence the importance of regulating their use.

Finally there is the method of administration . Smoking plants wrapped in paper is the most harmful and ineffective way to administer any substance. If you need nicotine, get 52 known carcinogens in the lungs resulting from smoke and additives is a passport to get very sick. The same goes for cannabis, especially if it is mixed with tobacco. Vaporization or even eating marijuana are much healthier, all this while regulated drugs that provide the active ingredients in a safe dosage form.

Correction : the effect of CBD in the brain is to increase the circulating levels of 2-AG, but it does not work as an analogue, as could be understood in the first version of this article.

On what is all this based?
The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research
One of the therapeutic uses of cannabis and cannabinoids is to treat chronic pain in adults. The committee found evidence to support that patients who were treated with cannabis or cannabinoids were more likely to experience a significant reduction in pain symptoms. For adults with muscle spasms related to multiple sclerosis, there was substantial evidence that the short-term use of certain "oral cannabinoids," man-made medications based on cannabinoids taken orally, improved the reported symptoms. In addition, in adults with chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, there was conclusive evidence that certain oral cannabinoids were effective in preventing and treating those ailments.

Marijuana in the Treatment of Glaucoma CTA - 2014
The Complementary Therapy Team of the American Academy of Ophthalmology finds no scientific evidence that demonstrates a greater benefit and / or a decrease in the risk of marijuana use in the treatment of glaucoma compared to the Wide variety of pharmaceutical agents currently available.

An Overview on Medicinal Chemistry of Synthetic and Natural Derivatives of Cannabidiol
Currently, CBD generates considerable interest due to its beneficial neuroprotective, antiepileptic, anxiolytic, antipsychotic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Dose-related effects of delta-9-THC on emotional responses to acute psychosocial stress.
Our findings suggest that a low dose of THC produces subjective effects of stress relief in line with those commonly reported among cannabis users, but that higher doses may not specifically increase negative mood.

Cannabidiol as potential anticancer drug
Together, the non-psychoactive CBD cannabinoid derived from plants presents proapoptotic and antiproliferative actions in different types of tumors and can also exert anti-migratory, anti-invasive, antimetastatic and perhaps anti-angiogenic properties. Based on these results, evidence is emerging suggesting that CBD is a potent inhibitor of both the growth and spread of cancer.

Association Between Marijuana Exposure and Pulmonary Function Over 20 Years
Exposure to marijuana was almost as common as exposure to tobacco, but was mostly mild (median, 2-3 episodes per month). Tobacco exposure, both current and life-long, was linearly associated with lower lung capacity values. In contrast, the association between marijuana exposure and lung function was not linear: at low levels of exposure, lung capacity increased by 13 ml / year, but at higher levels of exposure, these associations leveled out or even they were reversed.

Cannabidiol in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy: an open-label interventional trial
Our findings suggest that cannabidiol could reduce the frequency of seizures and could have an adequate safety profile in children and young adults with highly refractory epilepsy.

Medical Marijuana for Epilepsy?
Many conventional antiepileptic drugs are poorly tolerated by people who experience adversities such as irritability, aggressive behavior and / or insomnia. However, cannabis enriched with cannabidiol induces fewer problems of this type; however, it can still provide benefits in mood, sleep and alertness.

Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells.
Concentrations of CBD effective to inhibit the expression of Id-1 were correlated with those used to inhibit the proliferative and invasive phenotype of breast cancer cells.

Targeting CB 2 -GPR55 Heteromers Receptor Modulates Cancer Cell Signaling
These heteromers can explain some of the biphasic effects of cannabinoids and constitute possible new targets in oncology.

The Combination of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Enhances the Anticancer Effects of Radiation in an Orthotopic Murine Glioma Model
Taken together, our data highlights the possibility that these cannabinoids can prime the glioma cells to better respond to ionizing radiation, and suggest a Potential clinical benefit for patients with glioma by using these two treatment modalities.

A Molecular Link between the Active Component of Marijuana and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of Aβ aggregation, and this study provides a previously molecular mechanism unknown through which cannabinoid molecules can directly affect the progression of this debilitating disease.

Dronabinol for the treatment of agitation and aggressive behavior in acutely hospitalized severely demented patients with noncognitive behavioral symptoms.
This report represents the largest cohort studied of patients with dementia treated with dronabinol to date and confirms previous reports that dronabinol may serve as an adjuvant treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia.

Smoked cannabis for spasticity in multiple sclerosis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
Cannabis use was superior to placebo in reducing symptoms and pain in participants with spasticity resistant to treatment.

Cannabis (medical marijuana) treatment for motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease: an open-label observational study.
There was also a significant improvement in sleep and pain scores. No significant adverse effects of the drug were observed. The study suggests that cannabis could have a place in the therapeutic arsenal of Parkinson's disease.

Therapeutic use of Cannabis sativa on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting among cancer patients: systematic review and meta-analysis.
The superiority of the anti-emetic efficacy of cannabinoids was demonstrated through meta-analysis.

Marijuana for Symptoms of PTSD in US Veterans

The use of a synthetic cannabinoid in the management of treatment-resistant nightmares in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The results of this study indicate the potential benefits of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder who have poor control of nightmares with standard pharmacotherapy.

Cognitive measures in long-term cannabis users.
Although these findings may be affected by residual confusion, as in all retrospective studies, they suggest that the cognitive deficits associated with cannabis are reversible and are related to recent exposure to cannabis instead of being irreversible and related to the cumulative use of cannabis. for life.

Early-onset cannabis use and cognitive deficits: what is the nature of the association?
Early-onset cannabis users exhibit poorer cognitive performance than late-onset users or control subjects, especially in VIQ, but the cause of this difference can not be determined from our data. The difference may reflect (1). innate differences between groups in cognitive ability, prior to first cannabis use; (2) a real neurotoxic effect of cannabis on the developing brain; or (3). a more precarious learning of conventional cognitive skills on the part of young cannabis users that academics have avoided and have moved away from the dominant culture.

Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia
In addition, treatment with cannabidiol was accompanied by a significant increase in serum anandamide levels, which was significantly associated with clinical improvement. The results suggest that the inhibition of the deactivation of anandamide may contribute to the antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol, which could represent a completely new mechanism in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use
Addiction (in approximately 9% of users in general, 17% of those who start using in adolescence, and 25 to 50% of those who are daily users).

An Evidence-Based Review of Acute and Long-Term Effects of Cannabis Use on Executive Cognitive Functions
Here we review research on the acute, residual and long-term effects of cannabis use on executive functions, and discuss the implications for treatment.