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Vice Blog

WEED DEALINGS - GREAT EXPECTORATIONS

In 1972, Arch-President Richard Nixon received test results from the Shafer Commission. This group of mostly Republican politicians, whom Nixon had tasked with determining whether or not marijuana was harmful, came to the conclusion that it was impossible to overdose on weed. Unfortunately, this no-doye failed to stop Nixon from creating the DEA a year later and from making marijuana one of its top priorities. As a side effect, marijuana has not been studied extensively in labs. Now as marijuana is becoming more widely accepted, laboratory testing has thawed and many of the curious plant's dark secrets are beginning to unfurl. For instance, there's a compound in marijuana that is thought to act as an expectorant when smoked, meaning that you could actually be cleaning out your lungs while doing bong rips. See? It's exciting. So far though, potentially the most important research concerns two fundamental parts of your brain and how they relate to two fundamental parts of marijuana. Inside all of us, regardless of whether or not we've ever smoked trees, are cannabinoid receptors, which respond to chemicals found in pot. Depending on where the receptors are located in the brain, and depending on what chemical is doing the triggering the responses vary. One interesting thing to note though is that there are no receptors to be found in the medula oblangata. This is interesting because the MO is the part of the brain that controls respiratory and cardiovascular function, which means that you can't shut down the mechanics of breathing by flooding the body with cannabinoids. Which means you can't smoke yourself to death. The CB receptors break down into two primary categories: CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain, and are mostly responsible for the stoning effects. CB2 receptors are found primarily in the organs of the immune system, and they are responsible for anti-inflammation, as well as other therapeutic effects. These parts of our bodies are just sitting there waiting for cannabinoids to fill them and weed just happens to be their only naturally occurring source. Out of the 85 known cannabinoids, there are currently 3 recognized fundamental cannabinoids: THC, CBD, and CBN. Even among these three, only THC and CBD have received substantial study. THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is picked up by both CB1 & 2 receptors. It produces the psychedelic business and also eases pain. CBD acts as an anti-depressant, an anxiolytic (fancy science for "anti-anxiety drug"), and a neuroprotector, which means it prevents the breakdown of neurons. It also helps to relieve convulsion, inflammation, and nausea, and has an affinity for CB2 receptors. Thanks to 40 years of selective breeding, the plants we smoke today are rich in many different cannabinoids, but THC is the most prevalent. This is because THC content is the trait old-school cultivators privileged, because it was the trait most beneficial to getting faced. Before they went nuts, marijuana naturally contained around 3% THC, whereas these days it ranges past 20% in some strains. With CBD's recent surge in popularity among researchers and medical marijuana users many breeders are beginning to develop CBD rich strains, which is going to rule for folks with glaucoma, cancer, and a boat + seasickness. And who knows what's going to happen when we start privileging the other 85 (and counting) cannabinoids. ZACH G. MOLDOF

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