Why does Cannabis get users high?

Why is it that cannabis has an ability to get users high 🤔. Simple question right, wrong this is actually not the easiest question to answer. There are many reasons/chemicals why cannabis even gets you high in the first place. Most people think that it's THC alone, which yes it does most of the heavy lifting but it's not all that contributes to a solid buzz.

Sativa and Indica

Sativa and Indica have a noticeable difference in the effects felt by users, this is partly due to the geographic regions which Sativa and Indica originated causing a noticeable difference in the plants chemical protection, & its effects on the users. THC is usually a slightly lower level in pure Sativa due mostly to the increased presence of THCV. I have a working theory that elevation/temperature of their native habitats has contributed significantly to this contrast between Sativa and Indica. Ruderalis is also a factor in my theory with a sparse cold less forgiving growing environment causing a decrease in non essential chemical protection. This however is just a theory and the information I based this on is subjective at best, I am getting off topic, what I am more concerned about todays post is how humans get high off smoking this plant specially.

Endocannabinoid system (ECS)

The ECS includes a network of receptors throughout the body that allow us to feel high when THC, THCV, or other cannabinoids are consumed. But is that the reason we have an ECS to begin with – to get high?

The cannabis-induced euphoria we feel is probably best thought of as a biological afterthought. Our ECS allows us to get high, but that’s not why we have it. We know this because the ECS existed long before humans forged any sort of relationship with the cannabis plant. In fact, the ECS was around before the cannabis plant even existed.

Historical records show that humans have used hemp resources for over 7,000 years and have harnessed cannabis’s medical properties for at least 3,000 years. While our human bond with cannabis is no doubt an ancient one, organisms were built to interact with it long before the cannabis plant even evolved. But how do we know that?

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is not unique to humans – it exists in all kinds of animals. Tracing the widespread development of the ECS back in time and across many different species, it’s clear that this system has played an important biological role for a very, very long time. In fact, key components of the ECS evolved hundreds of millions of years ago, long before the dinosaurs.

Yes Chimps, Dogs, Deer, Dinosaurs, Dumb asses(like me) and even spiders get high off cannabis. This is even more complex than just human consumption of cannabis due to the large number of differences in physiology the cannabis could effectively be used fresh and not decarboxylated in certain species.

Spider getting high

Major pieces of the endocannabinoid system evolved hundreds of millions of years ago. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is widespread throughout the animal kingdom, and its major components first evolved long before humans or Cannabis existed. The major ECS receptors, CB1 and CB2, are probably present in all vertebrates (animals with a backbone), but not insects. A major ECS enzyme called FAAH has likely been around since the first animals with a nervous system evolved.

Why Does Cannabis Produce Cannabinoids?

If getting high isn’t the reason we have an ECS, why does the cannabis plant produce a psychoactive compound like THC in the first place? The simple answer is for survival. Cannabis grows in many different geographies and climates; from tropical, hot equatorial regions to cold, harsh mountains, cannabis has successfully adapted to a spectrum of environments with the help of protective features like cannabinoids.

Cannabinoids like THCA (which converts to THC with heat and over time) are produced in tiny glands on the surface of the plant called trichomes. Trichomes appear on many plant species and serve to protect in a variety of ways, including:

Defending against insect herbivores

Defending against frost in colder habitats

Minimizing water loss in windy habitats

Preventing of overheating in dry, open habitats

Attracting pollinators or prey

What separates cannabis from a majority of other trichome-producing plants is the psychoactive properties of its constituents, namely THC. To understand why a plant makes psychoactive compounds, take caffeine and nicotine for example. Caffeine and nicotine are natural pesticides that help deter insect predators from eating these plants. So this is one potential role that a compound like THC could conceivably play: to help ensure survival by deterring predators from eating it. The inverse may also be true encouragement to eat the Bud & spread seeds, this would then reward the organism not in chemical energy like fruit but a euphoria.

THC may serve another role as an anti-microbial. Plants have to worry about germs just like animals do. However, they do not have an immune system like animals, so they tend to produce chemical cocktails to help guard against infections.

However this seems incorrect due mostly to the fact that disease parasites and mold seem to infect High THC level plants and low THC level plants at an equal rate. This is something long time growers are aware of, & is why ideally the growing conditions or facility are sterile almost laboratory conditions.

This theory doesn’t necessarily stand in opposition to the idea that it may serve a defense function; THC might be effective at repelling only certain insect pests, or guarding against specific species of microbes but not others.

I am favoring this next plausibility for THC production, as well as a combination of the previous hypothesized reasons.

THC specifically may protect the plant from ultraviolet light. Researchers at the University of Maryland exposed cannabis plants from different areas of the world to UVB rays through irradiation and found that they produced more THC than those that were not exposed, suggesting a protective function. This kind of protective role also makes sense considering the type of environment where cannabis thrives: open areas with lots of direct sunlight.

Think SPF produced by the contents of your spliff

What kinds of trichomes are generated by cannabis?

Given that I have photographed 100+ images of trichomes I figured I'd at least explore what a Trichome is, given that it falls into a similar category as Why THC is produced. This wasn't enough for its own write up, so I decided to tack it on this one.

Cannabis has three different kinds of trichomes. The first are bulbous trichomes, which are the smallest of the three. They appear on the surface of the plant. They are usually between 10-15 micrometers in size (or just a couple of cells).

The second kind of trichomes on cannabis are a bit larger and contain both a head and a stalk. They are more numerous than bulbous trichomes.

The most numerous and largest of the trichomes on the cannabis plant are called capitate-stalked trichomes. They can be anywhere from 50-100µm wide, can be seen by the naked eye and are comprised of a stalk and stem, topped by a large gland head. This gland head, which is protected by a waxy cuticle layer, is where most cannabinoids are produced.

capitate-stalked trichomes are the most pronounced in my photos 👆 due mostly to the size difference and my hardware lacking higher resolution. I'm looking into fixing this issue but I'm not having much luck on Amazon so I may have to explore different options. My first thought was a teacher supply store but pandemic issues are prevalent in the online retailers.

Todays daily doses are Chem Dawg

& Kratom pills not Capsules an important distinction

Unrelated Hive updates

I bought in to hash kings presale so ill be joining anyone else that is also planning on playing.

My CBD wax from my potential new sponsor arrived today, so I'm going to try and get ahold of them after the holiday and confirm I'm allowed to feature this product. If not ill simply omit the brand.

I dabbed some I can only describe it as meh, not good or bad odd taste compared to normal wax but smoother.

once I make contact with the company ill begin a Waxliquidiser recipe walk through

I know its not weed related but I'm so excited about winning this yesterday, If you cant see it the price is $250 50,000 DEC, and there are only 3 in circulation. Won this from a daily challenge.