Have you ever noticed that you and your friends react completely differently to the same weed? While one cuddles up on the couch with a stuffed teddy, the other wants to throw himself into the nightlife of the city. Here are 5 reasons why smoking pot affects everyone differently.
General state of health
The use of marijuana has different effects depending on the state of health. Many diseases have an influence on the biochemical processes in the body. The consumption of cannabis changes the endocannabinoid system of the body so that any deficits that may exist are compensated for. The effects of cannabinoids are thus perceived differently than in people who do not have any deficits. For example, indicas have a balancing effect on people suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) or fibromyalgia, making them feel "normal", whereas they mainly produce sedating effects in healthy users.
Gender
Men, for example, get the well-known "munchies" more easily than women. Nevertheless, women generally react more strongly to weed. They experience more pain relief than men, who have to consume more to achieve the same pain-relieving effects.
In addition, the effect of THC, the strongest psychoactive cannabinoid, is strongly related to the oestrogen balance. THC has its strongest effect shortly after the highest oestrogen level has been reached and is falling again.
Genetics
As recent scientific research has shown, genes influence the effects of cannabis. Thus, people who have a certain genetic defect are particularly affected by the fact that the use of cannabis can trigger anxiety or paranoia.
Further studies have shown that genetics also influence cognitive characteristics while high. This explains why some users experience memory lapses after use, while others have a better ability to learn while high.
In addition, scientific research in the USA has found that about 20% of the population has a genetic mutation that results in higher endocannabinoid levels. These individuals naturally have more cannabinoids such as THC or CBD in their bodies, so the effect is significantly weaker than in individuals who can significantly increase the level through consumption.
These examples clearly show that genes have an influence on the effects of cannabis. Science is only at the beginning of researching how cannabis and genes interact, so more interesting results can be expected in this field.
Own biochemistry
Some people react more strongly to cannabis than others. But who doesn't know someone around them who can climb the walls after drinking a cup of coffee? Or people who feel drunk after drinking 2 glasses of beer? People react differently to all kinds of things. Cannabis is one of them. This is where the cannabinoid system comes into play again. Various factors can influence it, genetics, stress, diets, lifestyle and much more.
Thus, the endocannbinoids need fatty acids to be produced naturally in the body. In a low-fat diet, this process is curbed, so that the effect of consuming these cannabinoids is stronger than without a diet.
Since the biochemistry within the body is constantly changing, cannabis also has a slightly different effect at any given time. Also, no two people ever have the same biochemical conditions.
This explains why different cannabis strains have a general direction of action (activating, sedating, focusing, relaxing, ...), but still have a different effect on each person.
Tolerance
Of course, tolerance plays a big role in how cannabis affects us. People who consume larger amounts on a daily basis react differently to the intake than people who only consume occasionally. The more one consumes, the greater the tolerance to the cannabinoids. The body gets used to it and reacts less strongly to the intake.
Someone who has never tried cannabis before will react completely differently to the same strain and the same dose. The body is not yet used to the rapid increase in cannabinoid levels.
So there are different explanations why people react differently to the use of cannabis. Health status, genetics, lifestyle and more all have an impact on how weed is experienced. So there are reasons why you might want to order a pizza next time you're chilling, while your mate is too paranoid to open the door.