If you consume cannabis regularly, you might have noticed your tolerance increase. While this may be the reason you’ve been spending more money on weed, rest assured there’s a way to fix it.
People can develop a tolerance to cannabis rather quickly — hence, the same amount that got you high when you first started smoking weed might do little to get you high a couple months later. According to a study published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, cannabis dependence and tolerance is associated with CB1 receptor “downregulation,” the process by which a cell decreases the quantity of a certain one of its components, like a protein or nucleic acid. “{This} begins to reverse surprisingly rapidly upon termination of cannabis use and may continue to increase over time,” the study authors wrote.
The cannabis plant’s phytocannabinoids, or chemical compounds, engage various receptor cells throughout the human body in what’s called the endocannabinoid system. THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, engages the CB1 receptors in the brain, affecting mood, memory, sleep, and other physiological functions. In the event of downregulation, THC decreases the number of CB1 receptors in a cell — which leads to a higher tolerance, or needing more weed to feel the same effects.
To carry out the study, the researchers injected volunteers with radioactive material that allowed a positron emission tomography, or PET scan to highlight the density of CB1 receptors in the brain. The researchers looked at the brains of 11 cannabis-dependent subjects and 19 volunteers — the first group was shown to have lower CB1 receptor density than the latter.
Then the subjects were tested after a period of abstaining from weed. After increments of two days and 28 days, the subjects’ tolerance continued to go back down.
Luckily, you don’t need to do much if you want to decrease your tolerance. If you need cannabis medicinally, try microdosing or opting for strains high in the non-psychotropic compound CBD, so as to lessen your THC intake and give your CB1 receptors a chance to bounce back. Or you could stop consuming weed altogether for a period of time, though be prepared for some very weird dreams.
