Our Mysterious Endocannabinoid System

Scientists have linked the endocannabinoid system to several crucial bodily functions, including making us feel high

Hiya!

You may or may not be surprised to know that I’m a cannabis fan for more reasons than I care to list. Mainly, though, I started consuming weed regularly because it helps with my post-brain surgery symptoms, which is a whole other story. In addition to being a consumer, I’ve learned a ton about cannabis while writing blogs for a local cannabis dispensary over the last three-plus years.

While I could probably write a book with everything I’ve learned about the cannabis plant, I knew next to nothing about our endocannabinoid system, which is the system that makes us feel the psychological effects cannabis is known for. So, I did some research and thought I’d share what I learned.

Discovering the Endocannabinoid System

If you don’t know, our species’ relationship with cannabis dates back to at least 12,000 years ago, but it wasn’t until the 1960s before tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was discovered, which led to the discovery of our endocannabinoid (endo-canna-bin-oid) system two decades later.

Identifying tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

An organic chemist named Raphael Mechoulam — a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel after escaping Bulgaria as a child — worked at Israel’s Weizmann Institute, where he first discovered THC.

In the 1960s, Mechoulam obtained 11 pounds (5 kg) of high-quality hashish from the police that had been confiscated from smugglers. He isolated over 100 cannabis compounds and tested each one’s effect on monkeys in his lab.

Mecholulam knew he had located his target as soon as he administered THC to the monkeys (then to human volunteers shortly afterward via little “cakes”) and observed a range of psychological reactions, including panic attacks, overly relaxed, laughing, and becoming more open to discussions.

Mechoulam, who passed away at the age of 92 in March 2023, hoped his discovery would boost scientific research into THC and its effects. Unfortunately, things didn’t exactly play out that way, as cannabis was classified as a Schedule 1 drug — the same as heroin — in 1970. This made it even more challenging for scientists to study.

Still, it didn’t stop American pharmacologist William Anthony Devane, who made the next big breakthrough in 1988 thanks, perhaps ironically, to a government-funded study.