Cannabis is a unique substance in that it doesn’t affect the brain the same way that other substances do. Most drugs, like amphetamine or cocaine, work by preventing the normal function of your brain. Specifically, disrupting our brain’s natural way of sending, receiving, and processing information. Cannabis, however, activates neurons in the brain because their chemical structure acts just like the chemicals we already have in our brain.

Vape pens take this experience to the next level. Instead of harming your lungs unnecessarily, or dealing with a lingering smell and stigma that other cannabis products produce, vape pens provide something different.

Have you ever heard of our brain’s endocannabinoid system? It may sound familiar to you because the word “cannabinoid” is usually associated with cannabis products. Well, there’s a reason for that. Understanding how cannabis works in the brain comes down to understanding the endocannabinoid system and something we all have inside of us called The Bliss Molecule.

Happiness, The Bliss Molecule, and The Endocannabinoid System

Imagine that our endocannabinoid system works like a zipper. Two links meeting together to form a bind, if you will. One side of the zipper is the receiver of messages, and the other side of the zipper is the message giver. While sober, the message giver is a chemical called anandamide, also known as “The Bliss Molecule”. Some people are just born with more, making them more “naturally joyous”, while others aren’t. Mary Biles, writer and medical cannabis advocate, remarks on her own anandamide deficiency, “For years I’ve felt ashamed about not being one of those innately joyous folks. But in the same way that some people need to work at staying slim, I have to graft at staying happy. And, just like the calorifically challenged, I also sometimes fall off the glee wagon.”

Biles’ perspective on her own happiness is inspiring as it shows that struggling with happiness, or the lack thereof, can be as normal as someone with a physical hurdle. Just because it’s mental doesn’t mean that there’s anything inherently wrong with you. All it means is that you have to put in a little bit of work to see that boost that you need, just like anything physical.

Anandamide is one of the message-givers in our endocannabinoid zipper-like system. The endocannabinoid system constantly works to bring a state of balance to our bodies and minds. This means regulating mood, happiness, anxiety, feat, and our abilities to endure stress. When anandamide levels are extremely irregular, you can see cases of people with depression and even schizophrenia.

The endocannabinoid system and the way it receives the chemicals in cannabis is integral to understanding how cannabis works in the brain.

Cannabis and How It Fits Into the Endocannabinoid “Zipper”

THC, one of the main cannabinoids in cannabis, has a very similar structure to anandamide’s. The similarity is so uncanny that it allows for the THC to bind to the message receivers in our endocannabinoid systems the same way that anandamide does. This phenomenon changes the message that’s sent to the receptor. This consequentially changes your mental and physical functionality causing you to feel high.

Just like anandamide, THC can produce similar effects such as inducing feelings of bliss or joy, pleasure associated with food, and alleviating pain and managing memory processes. Some people call anandamide “the body’s own THC”. When people with lower levels of anandamide use cannabis, they’re typically more receptive to cannabis’s positive effects. Those who have naturally higher concentrations of anandamide in their brains typically aren’t as receptive.

Fitting into the endocannabinoid receptors and changing the way a message is received in the brain is exactly how cannabis works in the brain. It’s like our body already has a natural way of welcoming the effects cannabis into our minds.

Vape Pens and How They Benefit Your Mental State

You know how cannabis works in the brain, but there are so many different methods of consuming. Let’s focus on vaping. Vaping has many benefits inside and outside of your mental state. This includes discreet consumption, user-ease, and a lack of smoking (much easier on the lungs). If you’re not into smoking, but still want to get high, check out this blog that will show you some smoke-free cannabis methods that you need to try!

Among those smoke-free methods are vape pens. They work by vaporizing cannabis concentrate quickly and conveniently. Among some of the many potential mental benefits of cannabis concentrates is a building of your mental focus, a creativity boost, uplifting your mood, promoting feelings of happiness, and increasing your appetite. If you want to read more about the potential mental benefits of cannabis concentrates, you’ll definitely want to read up on this blog.