How does marijuana affect your brain?

Marijuana is getting more and more popular every year. Public sentiment is shifting and states across the U.S. have begun legalizing pot for medical and recreational use. But what does marijuana do to your brain? How does weed work in your body? What are the possible risks and benefits of marijuana use? In this episode of Neuro Transmissions, Alie Astrocyte explains what we understand about the effects of cannabis – and what we still have yet to figure out. We’ll describe the endocannabinoid system, what causes the difference between sativa and indica strains, side effects, and what your brain on drugs really looks like.

Big thanks to all of the people at the start who contributed different slang words for cannabis. I was surprised by some common ones missing though, like bud, hash, reefer, dope, skunk, chronic…to name a few. Got some more? Leave ‘em in the comments below!

For more information on how harsh punishments for drug crimes has disproportionately affected certain groups of US Citizens, check out this link: http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/race-and-drug-war

Sources:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425757/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570572/
http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/marijuana-and-lung-health.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736954/
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/marijuana-rehab/long-term-effects/
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/marijuana-use-disorder-common-often-untreated
http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC4545387&blobtype=pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/factsheets/pregnancy.htm#12 https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5576603/
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug

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***Credits***

Footage from “Up In Smoke” and “Reefer Madness” was used for nonprofit educational purposes and was intended to benefit the public by teaching scientific concepts through relatable content. Therefore, they fall under fair use.

The following videos and images were used for educational purposes:
https://cdn4.picryl.com/photo/2015/11/25/postcard-of-a-kentucky-hemp-field-640.jpg
http://www.cannabisculture.com/files/images/6/marijuanachildren.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/jeffreydachmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/CannabisAmericana_JLHopkins_B.jpg?ssl=1
https://assets.rbl.ms/9603822/980x.jpg
https://civilwartalk.com/attachments/hash-png.164461/
http://antiquecannabisbook.com/images/HashishCandy.gif
http://antiquecannabisbook.com/images/USP1900_B.jpg
https://lorenalopez715005.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/mexican-revolution-chicanos-horsemen-woman-casasola-660.jpg
https://images.mysafetysign.com/img/lg/S/food-may-contain-peanut-sign-s-6064.png
https://15minutehistory.org/files/2013/08/NAD-200401384925.jpg
https://indianapublicmedia.org/momentofindianahistory/files/2013/01/1910-mexican-crowdatdepot.jpg
https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2370/2071339831_b8629dfc35_o.jpg
http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap04/Louisiana/MexicanWeedA.jpg
http://reefermadnessmuseum.org/chap04/NCarolina/StatesvilleRecord-A.jpg
http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EMP/04/04_149.GIF




All other content is original and/or owned by Neuro Transmissions.

#neuroscience #marijuana #weed

50 Comments

  1. Juan Gee on December 22, 2019 at 6:32 am

    Yeska..!



  2. Enrique Santos on December 22, 2019 at 6:32 am

    I heard medical marijuana is poison 💀



  3. smoke one on December 22, 2019 at 6:33 am

    Go psychedelics



  4. Woody on December 22, 2019 at 6:33 am

    I speak from 45 years of experience, pot is a gate-way drug.. I am not saying everyone but 4sure some will continue on to heroin addiction



  5. Sarah Amine on December 22, 2019 at 6:33 am

    nice findings!



  6. Paulie Da Arifish on December 22, 2019 at 6:34 am

    Very informative! #endthestigma



  7. Michael Graves on December 22, 2019 at 6:34 am

    Well i was lissioning up till i heard racism



  8. slimey dick on December 22, 2019 at 6:37 am

    I fucking love weed man, I just got a quarter, 3 carts, and a pre roll for $107, gotta love vegas dispensaries 😍😍



  9. Akko Design and Gaming on December 22, 2019 at 6:37 am

    Don’t smoke crack
    Smoke weed bro



  10. Ridge Runnr on December 22, 2019 at 6:38 am

    Who’s war on drugs?…. it wasn’t Bush.



  11. Skunk Vegan on December 22, 2019 at 6:39 am

    The brain is the gateway drug!



  12. Jonny Sandtrap on December 22, 2019 at 6:42 am

    *What cannabis is _NOT_, is a "gateway drug"*



  13. sylvestre on December 22, 2019 at 6:43 am

    Legalise it, alcohol is worse.



  14. Peter Mueller on December 22, 2019 at 6:43 am

    I never realized THC and CBD share the same atomic makeup. Check your chemical structures for THC and CBD though–THC should be aromatic.

    Thanks for the awesome video! Would love to know more about the signal transduction pathway of THC and CBD!



  15. Cytronik on December 22, 2019 at 6:45 am

    In a society in wich alcohol is legal it is more than absurd to use other drugs harm potential as an argument for their prohibition or to call them a problem.



  16. David Rissanen on December 22, 2019 at 6:45 am

    I think the reported LD50 of thc is 9.57% of total body weight in thc. So in other words, im 190lbs. Id have to consume over 18 lbs of pure thc to put my life in danger from the compound. And that much has to be consumed in less than one hour or the liver will metabolize enough to keep you going. Likely, if this were attempted, the person would pass out wayyyy before they got to toxic doses. 18 pounds… lol half a pound alone would be offputting



  17. Phillip P on December 22, 2019 at 6:48 am

    This vid isn’t much different than the tobacco lobby putting out ads for dumb people who want to justify their shortcomings. Weird how I have not heard a single mention of Schizophrenia yet and the only negative effects have been found in "heavy users". Video does not reflect reality lol.



  18. Astuteous Maximus on December 22, 2019 at 6:48 am

    All the potheads in the comment section raging away lol. Weed is certainly less harmful than Alcohol and by a long way but to try and claim it’s actually good for you is delusion in a nutshell. You’re pumping smoke into your lungs for starters. I was a huge weed cat when I was in my teens/20’s and I still have the occasional smoke today but I moderate my use.



  19. STAGGERLEE on December 22, 2019 at 6:48 am

    With the harm pods have caused I’d never use them. Chugging on the double barrel 3 messon tank



  20. Man de Gaturiss on December 22, 2019 at 6:51 am

    Pot is fine

    – Drew Barrymore



  21. seamustard 03 on December 22, 2019 at 6:53 am

    1:55 that’s Australia 😂



  22. whips on December 22, 2019 at 6:54 am

    Tobacco the worst drug on this plannet and Alcohol and Tobacco as for wee it just a herb plant you cannot O/D on it. if this was aloud to grow it would stop all these drug barrow the Tax the government would make £££££££ each week it would stop every one selling it .It would be over run no one would be buy it why buy when you can grow it.



  23. You Tube on December 22, 2019 at 6:55 am

    Thank u so much for all this information in 1 vid. I can show my mom and educate her now lol.



  24. Connor Purcell on December 22, 2019 at 6:56 am

    I just watched Reefer Madness the 1936 version I can now say weed doesn’t make you crazy I’m a beginner stoner and I don’t get violet I just get the giggles and the munchies



  25. Geneva Thatcher on December 22, 2019 at 6:57 am

    I fell off my bike, flew through the air and hit the right temple of my head on a large rock. I was diagnosed with a sever concussion, possible brain damage. I ingested cannabis for pain. At the hospital they wanted me to take Oxycotin a Prescription Opioid Narcotic that is very addicting. They wanted to charge me $80.00 for 5 pills. As out of it as i was, i managed to say loudly, "I am not paying no 80 bucks for 5 pills of Oxycotin only to get addicted to it. I am going home and i will make coconut canna butter muffins and ingest the best non addicting pain killer there ever was and ever will be".
    For some reason, I healed fast while ingesting cannabis for my painful head ache. The head ache lasted for about 1 week and never came back. My memory was definitely not there, but slowly coming back. That was 3 years ago. My memory is much better, but not back to normal yet. I continue to ingest coconut canna butter as my memory improves with both the cannabis and coconut oil. l am planning to make coconut canna butter chocolates. Raw coconut oil/butter and cannabis should be some thing that is typically used for head trauma.
    My mother has Alzheimer’s Disease from taking the prescription drug called Lipitor for Cholesterol. Since she has been on 1 to 2 tablespoon of Raw Coconut Oil daily, her memory is coming back, the Alzheimer’s Disease seems to be going away.
    Coconut oil is brain food, feed your brain coconut oil and avoid anti cholesterol drugs. normal amounts of Cholesterol is brain food. So far the coconut oil improves senility, dementia and cures Alzheimer’s.



  26. DDANK THE D IS FOR DAILY on December 22, 2019 at 6:57 am

    Gateway drug 😂

    I started out on milk and now i drink beer is milk a gateway drug to alcohol



  27. dave thomas on December 22, 2019 at 6:59 am

    I hear smart people



  28. Robert Jones on December 22, 2019 at 6:59 am

    Mari-whata?



  29. Kevin Rodriguez on December 22, 2019 at 7:00 am

    All i think about is asking the girl in the video with short hair if shes down to smoke some!!!!😂😂😂



  30. Grow YourOwn on December 22, 2019 at 7:02 am

    Great video!! thank you. liked and subscribed. The cannabis plant has so many different medicinal uses. I do not understand how it is not 100 percent legal everywhere. Its almost like making a healthy fruit illegal(Banana, apple, orange)… If we stop eating plastic, drinking poisons, and damaging the planet, which is our life source, we may begin to function as a beneficial specie and not a parasite and make better decisions. Nutrition is super important, and it is important to know what is exactly in what you are consuming. Brain #1(head), and Brain #2(Stomach)……..Both are equally important.



  31. ASMR LIFE REALITY M.figueroa on December 22, 2019 at 7:02 am

    Great documentary and fully support your view and have cured several people with this magical herb. Why are we so stupid and holding it back from being legal . Alcohol it’s worst .



  32. leo prior on December 22, 2019 at 7:05 am

    I was gonna go to work



  33. voleN on December 22, 2019 at 7:06 am

    Been daily smoking for almost a year and a half now. Generally about 1g to 1.5g a day. (Obviously there are days where I smoke much more than this like with friends etc.. but generally). In your video you say daily use, or smoking "a lot" of weed. What exactly do you mean by that? Neither I, nor people I’m close to have noticed any Cognitive or Memory issues thus far. Just curious on amounts as the rest of your video is very precise and informative, but that section is oddly ambiguous. Is there not enough Data? Or was that just an oversight?



  34. Acid Roof Productions on December 22, 2019 at 7:08 am

    I’m just sitting here, high, thinking…. Those Harry Potter books aren’t in the right order…



  35. Chrisoo 2x on December 22, 2019 at 7:10 am

    Alcohol causes more deaths in world than Bud make a vid on that since u smart



  36. Sam Ford on December 22, 2019 at 7:11 am

    Am I the only one these days that actually does get lazy and lustful on weed?



  37. Regis Moisés on December 22, 2019 at 7:12 am

    cannabis o que deus nos deu o dito homem não tem moral, cannabis é cabeça boa, eu fumo a mais de 50 anos aprendi a fumar pra correr 10 20 km e hoje aos 64 anos faço a mesma coisa, fumo pra correr jogar bola, e minha cabeça é 100%, SOU ANALFABETO MAS TRABALHO COM CORTE NO COMPUTADOR COM IMPELHADEIRA SOU MOTORISTA A 50 ANOS E NUNCA BATI E NUNCA TIVE UMA MULTA, QUE FALA QUE CANNABIS É DROGA, DROGA É QUEM FALA PELO RABO SEM CONHECIMENTO



  38. Skunkush_Ruft ? on December 22, 2019 at 7:16 am

    Imo alcohol is the real gateway drug. If I drink, I want to do coke and other substances. If I smoke, I just want to smoke, chill and eat 🙂



  39. gamers345 on December 22, 2019 at 7:17 am

    I’m that 3% smh



  40. Enrique Santos on December 22, 2019 at 7:17 am

    So I can get lung cancer from cannabis?



  41. Shawne Harmer on December 22, 2019 at 7:18 am

    It’s the only thing that helps me with very intense pain that I have every day. I’ve tried almost everything but this brings relief.



  42. Neuro Transmissions on December 22, 2019 at 7:18 am

    Unfortunately, YouTube says this video is not suitable for advertisers (despite manual review). We get it. Cannabis is a controversial topic. However, we think that content like this is important and we will continue to make it, even when it isn’t considered ad-friendly. If you like what we do and are interested in supporting us in other ways, consider checking out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/neurotransmissions



  43. Sunkissed Mami on December 22, 2019 at 7:19 am

    Lmao blunt, bongs.



  44. Great Dragon on December 22, 2019 at 7:19 am

    you shoulda smoked some loud while making this video, seems like you dont even smoke weed at all so not going to listen to you when you’ve never even tried it



  45. Alan Frost on December 22, 2019 at 7:21 am

    I dont agree with some of their findings, one who is close to me gets good ideas and puts those ideas to use creatively , no thinking loss in fact it has helped increase thought processes, although he is an overthinker.
    Ive nevere heard of anyone driving under the influence of cannabis being reckless or killing somebody though through alcohol use i have heard.
    Marijuana should be legalised everywhere, its a weed… its a medicine its rope its clothes its as good as wood it would stop riots it would stop a lot and help even more in many ways.



  46. nightmare XENO on December 22, 2019 at 7:27 am

    Can we just agree that the reason on AVERAGE non smokers test better than smokers is 90% of them are just dumb



  47. PRODBYJB on December 22, 2019 at 7:27 am

    who watched this high asab



  48. Apollo Valetudo on December 22, 2019 at 7:28 am

    Cannabis can’t be dangerous at all if Nasdaq approved of FSD Pharma, a Canadian pharmaceutical giant, to share their stocks. FSD Pharma is one of the leading medicinal pioneers in Canada for researching marijuana.



  49. Enjoy the little Things on December 22, 2019 at 7:28 am

    11:26
    My eyes just lit up



  50. Karma Reaper on December 22, 2019 at 7:29 am

    Where is your license? There On the bumper. lol