[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

let us not forget the discovery in 1992 of endocannabinoids, which suggest that human evolution and cannabis are interconnected.

(this is wikipedia because finding simple info on these neurochemicals is impossible these days, all of the research has become super specific.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system

yes of course there endocannabinoids, just like there are endorphins. but you're not going to say heroin and human evolution are interconnected, are you? your extrapolations are unscientific and wrongheaded.

there are a myriad substances in the animal and vegetal world that mimic the function of elements of our neural system. the fact that there are endocannabinoids in the human body is enough reason not to fuck with them with external ingestions, just like it's better to exercise and generate your own endorphins than to consume opiates.

when you smoke weed you're basically fucking with a complex and delicate system of communication so that you can get fucked up and temporarily forget your pain. but no matter what lies you tell yourself, there are negative consequences attached.

from the very article you posted:

Originally Posted by read for comprehension

Memory

Mice treated with tetrahydrocannabinol show suppression of long-term potentiation in the hippocampus - a process that is essential for the formation and storage of long-term memory [22]. These results concur with anecdotal evidence suggesting that smoked preparations of Cannabis Sativa attentuates short-term memory [23]. Indeed, mice without the CB1 receptor show enhanced memory and long-term potentiation indicating that the endocannabinoid system may play a pivotal role in the extinction of old memories. Interestingly, recent research reported in a 2005 Journal Of Clinical Investigation article [24] indicate that the high-dose treatment of rats with the synthetic cannabinoid, HU-210 over a period of a few weeks resulted in stimulation of neural growth in the rats' hippocampus region, a part of the limbic system playing a part in the formation of declarative and spatial memories.

[edit] Appetite

Those who use cannabis are familiar with its appetite-enhancing effects. Emerging data suggests that THC act via CB1 receptors on hypothalamic nuclei, thus directly increasing appetite[25][26]. It is thought that hypothalamic neurons tonically produce endocannabinoids that work to tightly regulate hunger. Interestingly, the amount of endocannabinoids produced is inversely correlated with the amount of leptin in the blood[27]. For example, mice without leptin not only become massively obese but have higher-than-normal levels of hypothalamic endocannabinoids [28]. Similarly, when these mice were treated with an endocannabinoid antagonist, such as Rimonabant, food intake was reduced[29]. When the [CB1] receptor is knocked out in mice, these animals tend to be leaner and less hungry than wild-type (or "normal") mice While there is need for more research, these results (and others) suggest that exogenous cannabinoids (as from smoking marijuana) in the hypothalamus activates a pathway responsible for food-seeking behavior [30].