THC Research

A post over at Distributed Neuron points to a journal article at Public Library of Science regarding research on THC, the most active mind-altering chemical in the marijuana.

From the journal article:

The fact that cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug has motivated a great deal of research aimed at understanding how it produces its psychoactive effects. Here I use the term psychoactive to describe the mild euphoria, altered perceptions, sense of relaxation, and sociability that often, but not always, accompany recreational cannabis use. Despite the difficulties inherent in working with lipophilic cannabinoids such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, our understanding of the mechanism of action of these compounds at the cellular level has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. However, a complete understanding of how cannabis elicits its psychoactive effects would include an appreciation of its actions at the cellular and network level as well as an identification of the neural circuits perturbed. The cannabinoid field has now matured to the point where investigators can begin to relate the cellular mechanisms of THC action to the behavioral effects of cannabis.

THC research has been seriously inhibited by its legal status and while I don’t personally believe it will become legal in the US anytime soon, more research needs to be done. I think there is a possibility that more research may lead to some interesting findings and perhaps a new perspectives on what we classify as illegal, addictive, and unhealthy compounds.