Illegal Drug I: Cannabis, Weed, Marijuana, Pot, Tetrahydrocannabinol, Cannabidol, THC.

Ah, yes. What better to start with than Cannabis? It's one of the most popular drugs in the entire world, but most people have no clue how it does what it does, or even that your brain has a natural Cannabinoid(1, see footnotes for definition) system!

Anandamide is the natural cannabinoid neurotransmitter(2), it's involved in many things such as pain perception and vomiting/nausea. Anandamide, THC(3), CBD(4), and the Synthetic Cannabinoid(5) series of chemicals do what they do by activating the CB1 and CB2 receptors(6) in the brain. THC is a partial agonist(7) at both receptors, while CBD is a partial agonist at the CB2 receptor alone. Activation of the CB1 receptor releases dopamine(8) and because of this, you'll feel the mood lift and the giggly-ness(and sometimes aphordesiac effect) or, in some cases, anxiety and even panic attacks in people who are susceptible. Activation of the CB2 receptor is responsible for the anti-nausea aspect of Cannabis, and possibly for the body-stoning effect of an Indica strain. Sativa strains have more THC, Indica strains have more CBD.

The great thing about Cannabis is it's inability to kill you. Be careful though, if you're new to smoking and don't have a tolerance, smoking too much can and will induce a panic attack, which will make you FEEL like you're going to die. But that's basically the worst side effect you'll get from smoking Cannabis. Contrary to what many people say, Cannabis IS addictive. It won't produce physical withdrawals like many drugs, but it is very mentally addicting to those of us with an addictive personality. (me)

Footnotes/definitions:

1. Cannabinoid - A drug that affects the CB1 and/or CB2 receptors in the brain.
2. Neurotransmitter - A brain chemical that controls a bodily/mental function by activating a receptor.
3. Tetrahydrocannabinol - The main chemical in Cannabis, found in higher amounts in Sativa strains, partial agonist at the CB1 and CB2 receptors.
4. Cannabidol - Partial agonist at the CB2 receptors. Found in higher amounts in Indica strains.
5. Synthetic Cannabinoids - Man-made, strong, full agonists at the CB1 and CB2 receptors, much different than cannabis, many are still legal, will be explained in more detail in a future article.
6. Receptor - Chemicals that, when contacted by either a neurotransmitter or an ingested chemical, controls a bodily or mental function.
7. (Partial) Agonist - An agonist chemical activates a receptor similarly to a neurotransmitter, a partial agonist weakly activates a receptor.
8. Dopamine - Neurotransmitter that is responsible for pleasure, motivation, sex drive, focus, anger, and (partially) anxiety.

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