Research indicates that brain receptors called cannabinoid one receptors begin to return to normal after two days without marijuana and return to normal function four weeks after stopping using the medication. Brain receptors normally work again. They improve memory, mental acuity and attention span. Sometimes, users report experiencing withdrawal symptoms, especially insomnia, for up to one year after they quit smoking.
Once THC has been metabolized and eliminated, CB1 receptors begin to be up-regulated and return to their normal level of availability. Positive regulation after a single or occasional dose of cannabis occurs quickly. Most people don't feel affected the next day. If you stop using cannabis, your brain can recover.
And it does so impressively quickly, usually within a matter of weeks. Most people with CHS who stop using cannabis experience symptom relief within ten days. However, it may take several months before you feel fully recovered. As you recover, you'll begin to resume your usual eating and bathing habits.
THC takes approximately 3 weeks to leave the body. Therefore, your cannabis tolerance period must be at least 21 days. A smaller number of receptors reduces the amount of negative feedback produced by cannabinoid stimulation, and a greater physiological balance is restored. Animal research suggests that prolonged exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids (cortisol), such as those induced by chronic stress conditions, significantly reduces CB1 receptors in the hippocampus, reducing cannabinoid function.
This is because other cannabinoids are derived from cannabigerol acid (CBGA), an acidic form of CBG. When THC stimulates CB1 receptors in the amygdala, the tone of the cannabinoids increases, lowering the bar for any stimulus to convey a sense of novelty. If you are a regular user of cannabis, how quickly you become tolerant to THC (reflecting the internalization of the CB1 receptor) depends on the dose and frequency you consume, your consumption history and your DNA. Since the internalization of CB1 receptors is the predominant consequence of excessive THC consumption, this helps explain why abstinence from cannabis recovers faster than with many other drugs of abuse.
Cannabinoid receptors have been involved in various physiological and pathophysiological functions of the body, including the regulation of mood, appetite, the sensation of pain, vascular and non-vascular smooth muscle tone, and immune function. Understanding the interaction of THC with the important chemistry and physiology of natural cannabinoids in the brain will now allow us to understand the impact that excessive cannabis consumption has on the brain and mental functioning. The most studied exogenous cannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG). They form a crucial part of the elusive endocannabinoid system (ECS) that was recently discovered.
A study conducted with daily cannabis users revealed that users had a reduction in CB1 receptors compared to non-users, which increased to near-normal levels after just two weeks of abstinence. With the CB1 receptor persistently downregulated 24 hours after smoking a joint, the pilots were still in a state of a slight reduction in cannabinoid tone.
