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5 Things To Know About The Endocannabinoid System
So far, preliminary studies have shown that this system plays a significant role in maintaining health and well-being.
So little is known about the largest receptor system in the human body which is the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Most sources indicate that the ECS was discovered barely three decades ago, in 1988.
Since then, scientists from around the world have made progressive discoveries about this dynamic system and its significance in health and disease.
The number of published studies and articles on the ECS have spiked significantly in the last decade spurring a growth in public interest in the subject. There are even suggestions that this “ seemingly abstruse” system could indeed be the most important system in the human body, given its large influence. Robert Mechoulam who is considered as a founding father of medical cannabis had this to say about the ECS.
“Two eminent scientists said that the endocannabinoid system is involved in essentially all human disease. This is a very strong statement, but it seems to be correct.”
Here are five things to know about the endocannabinoid system.
The ECS Is Made up of Three Primary Components
From what science has revealed so far, the ECS is made up of three primary components that are spread throughout the central and peripheral nervous system; endocannabinoids (ligands), endocannabinoid receptors, and endocannabinoid enzymes (synthesizing and degrading). The endocannabinoids are synthesized by enzymes in the system and interact with endocannabinoid receptors to produce certain effects in the body. Once they have finished their role, they are degraded and removed from the system. The ECS has been described as a “lipid signaling system.”
The ECS has two types of receptors which are CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are abundant in the central nervous system while CB2 receptors are abundant in immune cells. The primary endocannabinoids that have been identified are anandamide (bliss molecule) and 2-AG. Anandamide is degraded by the enzyme FAAH while 2-AG is degraded by MAGL.
The ECS Is Present in Both Vertebrates and Invertebrates
Earlier on, it was believed that the ECS was only present in animals that have a backbone aka mammals. It has now emerged that invertebrates such as leeches and mollusks. It is however more pervasive in mammals.
The ECS Maintains Homeostasis in the Body
The ECS is a “regulatory” system that is involved in various important functions in the body. The primary role of the ECS is to maintain a state of homeostasis or physiological balance in the body. Terms such as endocannabinoid tone have emerged and are used to describe the overall state of the ECS in terms of the density and function level of its components.
When the ECS senses an imbalance, it triggers a cascade of events along signaling pathways to restore balance. For example, when the body temperature is too high, the ECS will trigger mechanisms to ensure that temperature is restored to normal parameters. The ECS is involved in regulating the following functions:
- Pain
- Sleep
- Hunger
- Metabolism
- Hormonal function
- Reproduction
- Memory
- Nausea and vomiting
- Immunity
- Moods
The ECS has an extensive network of receptors that are spread out in almost every part of the body. ECS receptors are highly concentrated on the skin which is the largest organ in the body. This wide network of receptors support the far reaching effects of the ECS.
Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency May Trigger Chronic Disease
The body may in some cases have a deficiency of endocannabinoids. This state which is described as clinical endocannabinoid deficiency syndrome (CECD) has been linked to some chronic conditions. One study that investigated the concept of CECD found that it could be the underlying trigger for chronic and treatment resistant conditions including migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia. The researchers further suggested that this could possibly explain how cannabis provides benefits for these conditions.
Phytocannabinoids in Cannabis Interact With the ECS
The cannabis plant has hundreds of bioactive molecules mostly made up of phytocannabinoids and terpenes. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two most investigated phytocannabinoids. Scientists have discovered that phytocannabinoid are able to mimic the actions of endocannabinoids that are produced naturally in the body. Hence, they are able to support the role of the ECS in maintaining homeostasis. This forms the basis of medical cannabis.
THC primarily binds to CB1 receptors in the brain. Alongside providing therapeutic benefits THC also causes psychoactive effects by altering the state of the mind to induce euphoria. CBD interacts indirectly with both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Because it does not bind to the CB1 receptors, it does not cause psychoactive effects.
The ECS Forms the Basis For Medical Cannabis
Medical cannabis has gained significant traction in the last decade due to discoveries in science about the role of the ECS and how cannabis can influence this system. To date, 37 states have legalized medical cannabis programs that allow patients to access cannabis-based treatments.
Here are some of the conditions that have been approved for medical cannabis treatments in the US:
- Cancer
- Neuropathic pain
- Multiple Sclerosis
- HIV/AIDS
- Diabetes
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Epilepsy
- Crohn’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Joint degeneration
- Nausea and vomiting in terminal illness
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Sleep disorders
- Mood disorders
Medicinal cannabis may also be used as adjuvant therapy to improve the efficacy of other drugs. For example, patients who are on opioids for pain management can use medicinal cannabis to reduce the amount of opioids that they are taking. This also has a positive impact on opioid-related side effects.
The ECS is still being studied and there is a lot that remains unknown about this system. So far, preliminary studies have shown that this system plays a significant role in maintaining health and well-being. It is also clear that phytocannabinoids from cannabis have far reaching effects on the ECS, which forms the basis for medical cannabis.
Source: https://thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/5-things-to-know-about-the-endocannabinoid-system/
New Mexico regulators fined a cannabis operator nearly $300,000 and revoked its license after the company allegedly created fake reports in the state’s traceability software.
The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) accused marijuana manufacturer and retailer Golden Roots of 11 violations, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Golden Roots operates the The Cannabis Revolution Dispensary.
The majority of the violations are related to the Albuquerque company’s improper use of BioTrack, which has been New Mexico’s track-and-trace vendor since 2015.
The CCD alleges Golden Roots reported marijuana production only two months after it had received its vertically integrated license, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Because cannabis takes longer than two months to be cultivated, the CCD was suspicious of the report.
After inspecting the company’s premises, the CCD alleged Golden Roots reported cultivation, transportation and sales in BioTrack but wasn’t able to provide officers who inspected the site evidence that the operator was cultivating cannabis.
In April, the CCD revoked Golden Roots’ license and issued a $10,000 fine, according to the news outlet.
The company requested a hearing, which the regulator scheduled for Sept. 1.
At the hearing, the CCD testified that the company’s dried-cannabis weights in BioTrack were suspicious because they didn’t seem to accurately reflect how much weight marijuana loses as it dries.
Company employees also poorly accounted for why they were making adjustments in the system of up to 24 pounds of cannabis, making comments such as “bad” or “mistake” in the software, Albuquerque Business First reported.
Golden Roots was fined $298,972.05 – the amount regulators allege the company made selling products that weren’t properly accounted for in BioTrack.
The CCD has been cracking down on cannabis operators accused of selling products procured from out-of-state or not grown legally:
- Regulators alleged in August that Albuquerque dispensary Sawmill Sweet Leaf sold out-of-state products and didn’t have a license for extraction.
- Paradise Exotics Distro lost its license in July after regulators alleged the company sold products made in California.
Golden Roots was the first alleged rulebreaker in New Mexico to be asked to pay a large fine.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/new-mexico-cannabis-operator-fined-loses-license-for-alleged-biotrack-fraud/
Four marijuana companies, including a multistate operator, have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in which they allege the federal MJ prohibition under the Controlled Substances Act is no longer constitutional.
According to the complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, retailer Canna Provisions, Treevit delivery service CEO Gyasi Sellers, cultivator Wiseacre Farm and MSO Verano Holdings Corp. are all harmed by “the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or possessing intrastate marijuana.”
Verano is headquartered in Chicago but has operations in Massachusetts; the other three operators are based in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the “Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional as applied to the intrastate cultivation, manufacture, possession, and distribution of marijuana pursuant to state law.”
The companies want the case to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
They hired prominent law firm Boies Schiller Flexner to represent them.
The New York-based firm’s principal is David Boies, whose former clients include Microsoft, former presidential candidate Al Gore and Elizabeth Holmes’ disgraced startup Theranos.
Similar challenges to the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) have failed.
One such challenge led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2005.
In Gonzalez vs. Raich, the highest court in the United States ruled in a 6-3 decision that the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to outlaw marijuana federally, even though state laws allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis.
In the 18 years since that ruling, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized adult-use marijuana and the federal government has allowed a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry to thrive.
Since both Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice, currently headed by Garland, have declined to intervene in state-licensed marijuana markets, the key facts that led to the Supreme Court’s 2005 ruling “no longer apply,” Boies said in a statement Thursday.
“The Supreme Court has since made clear that the federal government lacks the authority to regulate purely intrastate commerce,” Boies said.
“Moreover, the facts on which those precedents are based are no longer true.”
Verano President Darren Weiss said in a statement the company is “prepared to bring this case all the way to the Supreme Court in order to align federal law with how Congress has acted for years.”
While the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana would help solve marijuana operators’ federal tax woes, neither rescheduling nor modest Congressional reforms such as the SAFER Banking Act “solve the fundamental issue,” Weiss added.
“The application of the CSA to lawful state-run cannabis business is an unconstitutional overreach on state sovereignty that has led to decades of harm, failed businesses, lost jobs, and unsafe working conditions.”
Alabama regulators are targeting Dec. 1 to award the first batch of medical cannabis business licenses after the agency’s first two attempts were scrapped because of scoring errors and litigation.
The first licenses will be awarded to individual cultivators, delivery providers, processors, dispensaries and state testing labs, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC).
Then, on Dec. 12, the AMCC will award licenses for vertically integrated operations, a designation set primarily for multistate operators.
Licenses are expected to be handed out 28 days after they have been awarded, so MMJ production could begin in early January, according to the Alabama Daily News.
That means MMJ products could be available for patients around early March, an AMCC spokesperson told the media outlet.
Regulators initially awarded 21 business licenses in June, only to void them after applicants alleged inconsistencies with how the applications were scored.
Then, in August, the state awarded 24 different licenses – 19 went to June recipients – only to reverse themselves again and scratch those licenses after spurned applicants filed lawsuits.
A state judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Chicago-based MSO Verano Holdings Corp., but another lawsuit is pending.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/alabama-plans-to-award-medical-cannabis-licenses-dec-1/
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