re: Scientists discover a genetic link between cannabis use and SCHIZOPHRENIA

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I'm not exactly certain of your question, but I think you are meaning to suggest that cb1 and cb2 receptors are
1) unique to humans

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Unique to all vertebrate species so far tested, at least cb1 receptors anyway, not sure they have tested other tissues of other species. (current definitions of cb1/cb2 receptor is brain/any other tissues respectively)

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2) only activated by plant-based cannabinoids.

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Anandamide endocannibinoid is the 1st non protein hormone ever discovered.

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If my understanding of your question is correct, your body has "endocannabinoids" that play a role in this system, and the system is present in several other (I believe all but will be lazy on the point since I may be misunderstanding yours) mammals.


I don't mean to belittle the point or miss your argument. If I did, can you please try to restate it? And prior to this, were you familiar with the concept of "endocannabinoids?" I hear the argument from time to time that "marijuana is the only thing this receptor is used for," which simply isn't true-not certain this is where you're trying to go with this post.

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Not marijuana as a sole source for sure. Apparently marijuana has cannabinoids as a defense or reproductive enhancement. Animals are either repulsed or attracted to the plant by the presence of cannabinoids. Like thorns and nectar, repulses certain predators and enhances desired others.

My point is: why do kids have a higher concentration of cannabinoid receptors in their brains than adults? Is it possible that growing brains have a greater need for cannabinoids? (look into memory studies, as in cannabinoids role in forgetting information in order to learn new information)

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My point is: why do kids have a higher concentration of cannabinoid receptors in their brains than adults? Is it possible that growing brains have a greater need for cannabinoids? (look into memory studies, as in cannabinoids role in forgetting information in order to learn new information)

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Very interesting points- I'm glad I misunderstood what I thought your first post to be saying, because this is a fun topic.

I think if we are talking about endogenous cannabinoids, no one really knows/understands fully the exact science between levels and responses.

When talking about exogenous cannabinoids though, I think these observations show somewhere between moderate and high quality evidence that exogenous administration is definitely not beneficial.


The argument for the role of more receptors in the adolescent brain then becomes an interesting conundrum- among the possibilities are
1) you don't produce a whole lot of endogenous cannabinoids, but they're necessary in the development so you upregulate the heck out of the receptors so that you "don't miss any" of what's floating around when it's produced.

2) teenagers and part of the developing brain is upregulated for whatever reason, and this leads to the general higher levels of excitability and some of the emotions that we tend to attribute to immaturity because there's more reactivity to the neurotransmitter/ligand- a wildly simplified version of complex adolescent physiology

You could make other arguments, but, at risk of sounding like "an old ignorant southerner that drank the government Kool aid," I think that your point of the upregulation/higher density explains the observations in the study I listed, which is that the adolescent brain exposed chronically is more sensitive to developing pathology. This doesn't mean every adolescent will. Current data really doesn't support adults developing pathology (re: psychiatric conditions, including anxiety), but there is a higher instance with plausible (not proven) explanation for this causing pathology in younger folks.


I'm trying to keep it short, but I really enjoy this topic. With the three links that I've put in this thread, I do think it is safe to say that the higher amount of CB receptors in the brain through adolescence represents a higher risk from harm from THC (et Al) than indication that administration is beneficial or necessary. There isn't any good "a thus b" data out there on the topic, but the two groups that relatively solid evidence for avoidance of phytocannabinoids exists for is:
1) adolescents (most info in the article in this post)
2) people with close family or personal history of psychotic psychiatric disorders (not your anxiety, depressed, etc folks but the ones that most people would call truly "crazy": shizophrenia-family as well as basically most subsets of psych disorders with audio/visual hallucinations)



Now, I really would love to see a trial of CBD extract or high-CBD strain marijuana use in psychotic-disorder adults as a potential treatment. That trial would hold my attention in a big way.