The Link Between Marijuana & Dopamine
Marijuana increases your level of Dopamine in the short term, which is why marijuana users often report feeling pleasure and euphoria. Euphoria is an intense state of elevated mood and increased arousal. When you are in a state of euphoria, you feel happier, more energetic, livelier, and more motivated than usual.
On the flip side, research has shown that long-term marijuana use can cause the brain to stop producing enough Dopamine on its own. Such a research finding is concerning considering that a reduction in Dopamine is known to cause anxiety, mood changes, fatigue, and depression.
According to a poll done by Gallup in 2020, 49% of U.S. adults admit to having tried Marijuana, the highest number they have ever recorded. Over half a century ago, just 4% reported they had tried the substance. Given that many marijuana users experience addiction-like symptoms, there is a high likelihood of people experiencing symptoms associated with reduced dopamine levels due to long-term marijuana use.
What is Dopamine?
Neurotransmitters help nerve cells communicate messages to each other in the brain. There are a host of different kinds of neurotransmitters in the brain. Dopamine is one of the most vital neurotransmitters.
As you probably know, Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. It fosters the search for food, water, sex, and many other natural stimuli that keep us alive. Dopamine also motivates us to engage in activities that promote survival, such as working to obtain food or money.
Dopamine is released when we experience something that gives us pleasure. For example, the taste of chocolate or winning at gambling prompts the release of Dopamine. It fuels our behavior by reinforcing what we should repeat and what we should avoid.
This neurotransmitter is produced in many areas of the brain, but in most cases, its source is in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). These dopamine sources in the brain are a target of heavy marijuana usage.
The truth is on long-term use of Marijuana, these cells die off, and dopamine levels decline significantly, compromising movement, emotions, pleasure control, and sleep cycle.
On the worse, low dopamine levels can also lead to Parkinson’s disease. Since heavy usage of Marijuana destroys neurons that produce this Dopamine, Parkinson's disease patients must take drugs to raise the levels of Dopamine in their body so that they can function normally.
How Are Marijuana & Dopamine Linked?
As mentioned above, Dopamine is one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain as is responsible for controlling pleasure and emotion. The pleasure you feel after smoking Marijuana, having sex, or eating something you enjoy is due to the release of Dopamine. Illicit drugs attract addictive behavior because they work on your pleasure pathway, making you dependent on the experience without you knowing.
When used appropriately and in the short term, cannabis has been shown to increase dopamine production indirectly in the brain. Even though weed's cannabinoids aren't directly acting on neurons, their effects can still be felt by the endocannabinoid system, which temporarily counteracts GABA neurons.
GABA neurons are inhibitory neurons. They act to reduce the activity of other neurons that have been activated, especially in the brain. This is a very important job, because too much neuronal activation can lead to excitotoxicity and neuron death.
Specific to our topic, GABA neurons inhibit the production of Dopamine. Similarly, Cannabinoids have been known to have an inhibitory effect on GABA receptors, thus causing a heightened dopamine production.
Endocannabinoids are a class of lipids that act as neurotransmitters in the body. They occur naturally in the brain and other organs. There are two major endocannabinoid receptors: CB1 (found mainly in the brain) and CB2 (found mainly in the immune system). Under certain conditions, these receptors are activated to produce mild euphoria, which is one of the reasons cannabis is so popular.
After decades of being viewed as a fringe field, cannabinoid research now has a well-deserved place in mainstream neurobiology. Recent revolutionary discoveries have shown that endocannabinoids are every bit as important and prevalent as conventional neurotransmitters such as GABA. This is without mentioning that they act in remarkably unexpected ways.
Marijuana is Awesome for Dopamine Production in the Short-Term
Several studies have shown that THC positively impacts Dopamine more rapidly than CBD over the short term. THC is the main active ingredient in Marijuana. This chemical can produce euphoric effects and alter perception. Marijuana's relaxing effects are due to this psychoactive component.
According to French's research on rats in 1997, THC stimulates the production and release of Dopamine in the midbrain. For almost 20 years, no study had shown the same results in humans, but a study conducted by Bassong and his colleagues in 2016 was the first to do so.
In a similar study conducted by French, CBD was used rather than THC, and cannabidiol did not increase the release of feel-good Dopamine. Essentially, THC causes Dopamine to be released, which is responsible for the positive feelings you get after smoking weed. This new analysis indicates that recreational marijuana users should reduce their consumption to avoid damaging their dopamine levels in the long run.
Does Marijuana Cause a Long-Term Reduction in Dopamine?
The strongest evidence regarding the effects of long-term marijuana use on Dopamine is fairly new. However, there have been numerous studies on the topic over the last few decades. An experiment in 1998 by Jentscha et al. found that long-term weed use reduced dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area of the brain associated with memory, decision-making, and planning.
However, it was in 2016 when a study led by Oliver Howes debunked the dopamine theory entirely. Research conducted in the past indicated that long-term cannabis use was associated with mental health problems; however, the real causes or the links between cannabis and mental health issues were unknown.
Oliver and his research team reviewed a number of previous studies that examined the effects of THC on the brain to find out if they were correct. The researchers eventually concluded that long-term weed users experience continued THC exposure which puts them at a greater risk of suffering from dopamine reduction and related side effects.
Oliver also criticized animal studies, saying they were too short to provide meaningful insights about the link between THC and Dopamine. The researchers were also concerned about the fact that there is little research on Marijuana, in particular, regarding the effects of marijuana withdrawal on the dopamine system.
Final Thoughts on Marijuana and Dopamine
Evidence suggests that long-term marijuana users experience a reduction in dopamine levels, which may result in symptoms of dopamine deficiency, such as the inability to feel pleasure without drugs.
So, while you shouldn’t panic after reading these latest research findings on Marijuana and its effect on long-term dopamine reduction, it’s a good idea to think about this if you smoke weed.
While it's true that studies have been unable to connect long-term marijuana use with reduced dopamine levels distinctively, there are a lot of reasons why you shouldn't be using this drug for the long term. Thus, it's advisable to make your own decision and recognize that Marijuana should be used responsibly.
.png)