Brain on Weed – Less Gray Matter But Increased Connections? (Video)

Brain on Weed - Less Gray Matter But Increased Connections? (Video) | Third Monk

Using the above video as a quick reference to how cannabis may affect the brain let us move now to the present study at hand. Researchers state that they find a decrease in gray brain matter in the orbitofrontal cortex in chronic cannabis users, users who medicate at least 3 times a day, versus non cannabis users.

These same cannabis users also show more connections in the same region of the brain. What does this mean really? The results are basically (SPOILER ALERT) inconclusive in the way they describe it’s affect on the test subjects.

Although the above is true, neither the users or non users show a decreased quality of life or an inability to perform daily functions. Francesca Filbey, the author of this study, speculates that the increased connections may be the way cannabis users adapt to having less gray brain matter so that they may function with no issues in their daily lives.

I’m happy to find that we are diving deeper into how marijuana affects the human body. Some of the other findings, such as lower IQs for the marijuana users is also inconclusive because there is no correlation between IQ and the function of the orbitofrontal cortex.

This study was funded by Parternship for a Drug Free America. Even with their hopes to find a way to bury cannabis through science, no conclusive negatives were found through this study.

Regardless of the motive, I hope studies like this continue to pop up for cannabis and psychedelics so that we may learn more about how these substances affect us and how we may use them to our advantage.

Check out the source article below, the article contains plenty of sources to feed your need for scientifically generated cannabis info.

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Chronic Pot Smoking Associated With Reduced Gray Matter, But Increased Connections | I Fucking Love Science

Cannabis Madness – Patients Vs Politicians (Video)

Cannabis Madness - Patients Vs Politicians (Video) | Third Monk

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates the politics of cannabis in Weed 2: Cannabis Madness. 

Gupta takes a look at U.S. federal laws that consider marijuana a drug with no medicinal value and serious scientists who say they’re wrong. It is the politics of cannabis – the politicians vs. the patients.

This is Gupta’s second CNN Special on cannabis, showing the clear proven medical benefits of high CBD marijuana and why marijuana should not be classified as a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance by the U.S. Government.

History books may one day draw a parallel between this chapter of medical marijuana and the story of David and Goliath. Playing the role of David’s slingshot, which ultimately brought Goliath to his knees, would be a 2-year-old girl named Vivian Wilson.

She inspired her father to challenge the system in a spectacular way that caused a nation to stop for a moment and take note. – Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Doubling Down on Medical Marijuana

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Cannabis Prevents Loss of Vision, Blindness (Study)

Cannabis Prevents Loss of Vision, Blindness (Study) | Third Monk image 1

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Retinitis Pigmentosa is a genetic eye disease that leads to severe vision loss and blindness. The disease affects 1 in 4,000 people and worsens as cells in the retina, called photoreceptors, die off.

But a study published in Experimental Eye Research shows the chemicals in cannabis, known as cannabinoids, may slow down this retinal degeneration.

Using a synthetic form of THC, the compound responsible for cannabis’ high, researchers at the University of Alicante in Spain were able to prevent vision loss in rats with the disorder.

The data suggests that cannabinoids are potentially useful to delay retinal degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa patients. – Dr. Nicolás Cuenca, Study’s Lead Author.

At the end of 90 days, rats that received treatment performed better on vision tests and had 40% more photoreceptors than untreated rats. THC also seemed to protect a number of other eye structures, including inner layers of the retina.

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Although encouraging, the results were not much of a surprise.

As the team notes, cannabinoids have shown promise in treating a variety of degenerative disorders, ranging from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to Strokes

They’re even seeing use in other vision related problems, such as Glaucoma.

While the latest study did not look at the mechanisms underlying the benefits of cannabinoids in Retinitis Pigmentosa, the authors conclude that further research is required.

> Marijuana Stops Vision Loss | Smell the Truth

Medical Marijuana For Kids Instead of Harsh Treatments (Video)

Medical Marijuana For Kids Instead of Harsh Treatments (Video) | Third Monk image 4

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Medical marijuana for kids is a touchy subject at the moment because of cannabis’ history as a schedule 1 drug.

Many people are still informing themselves on the topic but those that are experiencing the wonder first hand know that medical marijuana is a viable alternative to harsh treatments.

The evidence speaks for itself and it will only be a matter of time until science echoes what we already know. These Medical Marijuana success stories are now being covered by mainstream media. and although many doctors don’t agree with the treatment some have made a full 180 on the subject like Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Reduction of Seizures From Using Medical Cannabis

Kyung Lah (CNN) reports on a 6-year-old epilepsy patient who has been suffering fewer seizures since taking medical marijuana.

7 Year Old Girl Uses Medical Marijuana to Treat Cancer

A little girl with a rare form of cancer in Oregon uses medical marijuana as part of her treatment.

Medical Marijuana Used To Treat Autism In Children

Parents decide to use cannabis to treat their autistic son.

Medical Marijuana for kids

The Science of Marijuana – What Weed Does To Your Body Chemistry

The Science of Marijuana - What Weed Does To Your Body Chemistry | Third Monk image 5

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Next time you burn one up, thank the sea squirt for your ability to enjoy it. This very distant, gelatinous relative was the first organism to develop the ability to respond to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

When humans joined the evolutionary lineage, we quickly realized the recreational benefits of cannabis. Archeologists have even found secret stashes from 2,700 years ago. Despite our rich marijuana history, we’ve only just begun to understand the complexity of how the drug affects the body.

THC has a wide range of effects, from psychotropic, i.e. getting high, to pain relief. It’s also able to act as a stimulant and a depressant at the same time. How does one molecule do so many things? 

Magic Plant Provides Fun and Medicine

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The first thing you need to know is that THC’s effects depend on where exactly the chemical interacts with your body. There are two types of recognition proteins, also known as receptors, for THC.

The first is CB1, which is concentrated in the brain. These receptors account for the high feeling you get when smoking pot.

The second variety of THC receptors is CB2, which are found throughout your entire body on cells of the immune system.

THC interacts with both receptor types, which is why the drug has medicinal and recreational uses.

The Munchies

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There’s a purely scientific reason why you can suddenly ingest 5,000 calories and still wonder if that Thai place will deliver late. It’s the CB1 receptors in your hypothalamus, the region of the brain that regulates appetite.

Usually, your body makes its own cannabinoids, which bind to your CB1 receptors to tell your brain that you need food. When you supply your body with THC, you artificially boost the “I’m hungry” signal and consequently end up thinking the entire local diner menu sounds AMAZING. This side effect is good not only for the bottom line of late night food spots, but also for cancer patients who have lost all desire to eat.

Dazed Introspection

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There are also CB1 receptors in your hippocampus, the area of the brain that processes short-term memory and spatial navigation. Because you’re over-stimulating this portion of the brain when you smoke pot, your neurons can’t function well and actually resemble brain damage.

So when you forget what you’re talking about in the middle of a sentence, it’s not because you forgot, but because you never stored what you were saying in your short-term memory. But this side affect isn’t all bad: The hippocampus is also associated with anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

That fact may explain why marijuana has proven to be an effective treatment for some individuals with mental issues.

Herbal Ecstasy

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Cannabis also acts a stimulant, completely warping your sense of time. Having THC in your body leads to elevated levels of dopamine. Dopamine is a molecule that is released in response to food, sex, and things that generally make you happy. In fact, dopamine causes that happy feeling, which is why it’s nicknamed the body’s “reward system.”

Dopamine also proportionally regulates your internal sense of time. More dopamine means you feel like time is going faster. So when you’ve smoked, you’re experiencing time more quickly, but you’re also not making memories of it — which is a trippy, Memento-esque concept.

Your Brain on Cannabis

This is what you look like, on the inside, when smoking cannabis. The effects of Marijuana on your brain, and how it defines your experience.

The Science of Smoking Weed: How Marijuana Affects Your Molecules | Policy Mic (Written by Brooke Horton)

Marijuana May Relieve the Symptoms of Autism (Study)

Marijuana May Relieve the Symptoms of Autism (Study) | Third Monk image 1

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Recent studies indicate that compounds found in marijuana may be used to successfully treat autism.

Researchers at Stanford University say that the debilitating effects of autism are primarily caused by a gene mutation that blocks the body’s natural production of cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids, and hinders the way those molecules communicate with the brain.

In the study, researchers found that the mutation of the neurologin-3 gene, which is responsible for creating and sustaining normal communication between brain cells, appears to have a direct correlation to autism – introducing derivatives of cannabis to the brain could ease symptoms associated with the disease.

Although the exact science revolving around how a disturbance in endocannabinoid signaling contributes to autism symptoms, researchers say there is significant evidence that suggest medical marijuana may be a viable treatment option for this condition.

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Researchers from the University of Irvine in California believe the folks at Stanford may be on to something: because they, too, have discovered a link between endocannabinoids and autism.

In a study of mice with fragile X syndrome, it “showed dramatic behavioral improvements in maze tests measuring anxiety and open-space acceptance.” And because THC, the active compound in marijuana, stimulates the same receptors as the endocannabinoids, researchers concluded, “increasing natural marijuana-like chemicals in the brain can help correct behavioral issues related to fragile X syndrome, the most common known genetic cause of autism.”

A recent article published in the Autism Daily Newscast indicates that many families are already experimenting with marijuana as a treatment for their children’s autism – as an alternative to other drugs with major side effects and questionable results.

Researchers add that while they do not advocate giving medical marijuana to children with autism, they believe their findings will lead to the development of important treatments for this devastating disease.

Pot Brownies Save Autistic Boy’s Life

A mother discusses how marijuana saved her autistic son’s life.

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> Marijuana Uses | High Times

Children of Cannabis – Getting Stoned and Fighting Sickness (Video)

Children of Cannabis - Getting Stoned and Fighting Sickness (Video) | Third Monk


Medical cannabis is legal in 20 states and the District of Columbia, but there are still use cases that are very controversial, like medical marijuana for children.

Some claim it’s a wonder drug for epilepsy, severe autism, and even to quell the harsh side effects of chemotherapy, while others decry pumping cannabis into still-growing bodies.

We went to the small town of Pendleton, Oregon, where medical marijuana is legal, to visit Mykayla Comstock, an eight-year-old leukemia patient who takes massive amounts of weed to treat her illness.

Her family, and many people we met along the way, believe not only in the palliative aspects of the drug, but also in cannabis’ curative effect—that cannabis can literally shrink tumors. – Vice Weediquette

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Inside a Stoner Lab, How Cannabis is Tested for Potency (Video)

Inside a Stoner Lab, How Cannabis is Tested for Potency (Video) | Third Monk image 4

After a grower submits a sample batch of cannabis, a team of stoner scientists take the plant through a detailed process to test for cannabinoid potency. The results can help growers improve their weed quality and guide patients who need a specific set of cannabinoid benefits.

Take a closer look at the standardized cannabis testing done at SC Laboratories that help bring the community clean and safe cannabis.

Cannabinoid Education – Infographic

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Cannabinoid Benefits Chart – Infographic

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Cannabis Lab Testing – Photo Gallery

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Stoner Intelligence? Cannabis Found to Boost Growth of Brain Cells (Study)

Stoner Intelligence? Cannabis Found to Boost Growth of Brain Cells (Study) | Third Monk image 2

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A new report offered by the Neurochemistry International Journal (Aug 2013) has discovered that cannabis’ CBC cannabinoid helps promote brain cell growth.

This study aimed at elucidating the effect of major non-THC phytocannabinoids on the fate of adult neural stem progenitor cells (NSPCs), which is an essential component of brain function in health as well as in pathology.

We tested three compounds: cannabidiol, cannabigerol, and cannabichromene (CBC), and found that CBC has positive effect on the cell viability of mouse NSPCs during differentiation in vitro.  

We measured ATP levels as an equilibrium marker of adenosine and found higher ATP levels during differentiation of NSPCs in the presence of CBC. Taken together, our results suggest that CBC raises the viability of NSPCs while inhibiting their differentiation into astroglia, possibly through up-regulation of ATP and adenosine signalling.

– Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Italy

Brain cell growth boosted by CBC is one of many studies that are exploring the relationship between cannabis and the brain. Scientists like Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman are known as some of the smartest stoners who admitted to smoking weed.

Cannabis Cannabinoids and Brain Function

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Cannabinoid Profile – Cannabichromene (CBC)

> New Research: CBC Cannabinoid Sparks Brain Cell Growth | Marijuana Research