How Does Marijuana Get You High

September 15, 2020

How does marijuana get you high and how it works

These are among common questions which most patients ask when prescribed medical marijuana. This topic can be a bit complicated, with lots of detail about how the active ingredients of marijuana affect the inner-workings of your brain

Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that has effects on both the mind and body. Derived from the cannabis plant, it is the most popular natural and most efficient medicine. You can smoke it, vape it, drink it, or eat it. Many folks use marijuana for pleasure and recreation however medical marijuana is growing in Florida and many other areas. Also, a growing number of marijuana doctors who issue Florida medical marijuana cards prescribe it for specific medical conditions and symptoms.

If you’re considering trying medical marijuana, here is the process in which marijuana gets you high, how it might make you feel, and what causes those feelings in turn.

While cannabis plants are known to produce at least 140 types of cannabinoids, there’s one that’s largely responsible for many of the effects of feeling high. It’s called tetrahydrocannabinol, (THC).

Tetrahydrocannabinol is a member of the cannabinoid chemical family, it’s specifically responsible for the psychological and physical side effects that occur as a result of feeling “high”.

THC doesn’t just take effect right after gaining entry to the bloodstream, though. The molecule acts on very specific receptor sites to make you feel high says on Sarasota medical marijuana doctors physician clinic group.

THC and other cannabinoid chemicals in marijuana are similar to chemicals that naturally occur in our body. These natural cannabinoids, such as “anandamide,” function as neurotransmitters because they send chemical messages between nerve cells throughout the nervous system. They affect brain areas that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, movement, coordination, and sensory and time perception.

Because of this similarity, (THC and anandamide) consuming cannabis can produce similar effects. When you ingest cannabis by smoking or vaping, within seconds THC hits your brain and goes to your brain’s neurons. Like a key in a lock, once a neurotransmitter binds to, it fits into the correct receptor, it signals to your body to do something. In this case, it creates that sense of “bliss.”  In short, THC can attach to molecules called cannabinoid receptors on neurons in these brain areas and activate them, changing various mental and physical functions thereby making you feel high.

The neural communication network that uses these cannabinoid neurotransmitters, known as the endocannabinoid system, plays a critical role in the nervous system’s normal functioning says a group of qualified medical marijuana card doctors in Orlando Florida.

THC interacts with its primary receptor, CB1, in the brain, alters the functioning of the hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex, brain areas that enable a person to form new memories and shift the focus of their attention.

It also stimulates neurons in the reward system to release the signaling chemical dopamine at levels higher than typically observed in response to natural stimuli. This flood of dopamine contributes to the pleasurable “high” that recreational marijuana users seek.

Smoking marijuana can produce feelings of euphoria, relaxed inhibitions, fragmentary thoughts, lack of concentration, impaired memory, drowsiness, and even sudden panic or paranoia

Keep in mind that cannabis affects everyone differently and the high a person experiences can and likely will vary by person.

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