Like alcohol, your genetics play a role in how you react to marijuana

Sometime you go out and a few drinks hit you must different they they usually do…there is a wide variety of reasons why, and genetics is one of them.  The body is a complex systems scientists and physicians are still trying to figure out.  And when you add things to your body, they don’t always know it is going to react.

Like alcohol, marijuana has been around since early man and has been used for worship, medicine and for pure recreations…but it remains unpredictable. Even seasoned users have a variation of there usually journey. But they can usually manage the effect marijuana has on them, while also staying calm during an unpredictable high. For newcomers, however, it’s different; novice users usually can’t predict how the drug will affect them, whether it’ll lead to a paranoid high or giggle fest.

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Cannabis functions by binding itself to the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies, which are located in our cells, containing our individual DNA. Mutations in CB1 or CB2 receptors can make you more vulnerable to different illnesses, such as Chron’s disease or anorexia. These changes could also impact how your cells bind to different molecules including the ones in cannabis.  It is one explanation on why different people have different reaction to the same  strain.

In a study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers found a variable in the gene CHRNA2 could increase the risk of becoming addicted to cannabis. Cannabis addiction is something that’s not all that understood, with many people doubting its existence. Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal include depression, irritability, a higher heart rate and more.

While this gene doesn’t indicate whether or not someone is a marijuana addict, it does increase the odds of these kinds of responses to heavy use of the drug.

All of this means that when sharing a bong or a joint with friends, a few of them can have slightly different reactions depending on several factors including their genome, personal experience with the drug and the strain they’re ingesting.

Genes are extremely complex. Although we’re born with some genetic mutations, other mutations can occur due to the things we’re exposed to throughout our lives, such as the foods we eat, the germs we interact with, our levels of stress, and more.

There’s a lot we don’t understand about genetics yet, but organizations like the Allen Institute are doing research to under more. This will lead to a better understand of cannabis and its impact on our genes. There’s a lot of possibilities once you start playing around with these variables, hopefully resulting in more medicinal and recreational benefits.

The Fresh Toast is a daily lifestyle platform with a side of cannabis. For more information, visit www.thefreshtoast.com.

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