Marijuana

Marijuana has been a drug widely discussed because of the chemical that it contains. THC and other related chemicals in this plant can help reduce pain and nausea, to fight glaucoma, and increase appetite. At the same time it can impair memory and learning, as well as emotional processes. There have been many debates across the nation of the legalization of this drug because some argue that it is helpful and that it is a plant grown from the earth so it must be okay. In the video shown above I learned that there are built in receptors in our brain that the cannibinoids (marijuana chemicals) attach to, giving people the high feeling. It was very interesting to find that these receptors were in our brains and that the reason for this receptor being present in the brain is for neuroprotection. For example, when there is a brain injury the brain chemicals anandamide and 2-AG attach to this receptor to reduce the damage to the brain. So some how long ago this receptor was implanted in our brains so that it could protect us. This system is involved in almost all physiological processes so it is now being used to test other drugs/medication. As stated in the video a company in Europe has developed an antagonist to the cannibinoids to decrease appetite and increase metabolism for people struggling with weight. This was also interesting to hear that marijuana could be changed to produce the opposite affects that it normally generates. Unlike other drugs marijuana in large doses will not kill someone. So since we now know it can be altered for good health reasons and has already been used by cancer patients, why can’t the bad affects like harm to memory and learning be altered and removed from the drug?