How does it act on the brain?
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There's a lot of debate about how cannabis affects the brain's 'plumbing'. The mind-altering constituent is a substance called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its concentration varies in different forms of cannabis. The impact of THC on the mind is the result of its binding to the cannabinoid receptor CB1, located in the brain. When these receptors are stimulated, things happen like hallucinations or distortion of spatial vision. Why humans have receptors in the brain remains a mystery to scientists, but, as one puts it: 'cannabis is a strange old drug'. |
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