Neurodivergent Stoners - Do You have a Weird Brain?

Humankind is neurodiverse, which means that across all of humanity there are many different ways that the brain can function. And since humanity’s early evolutionary days, certain brains have gravitated towards cannabis. Stoners are a stigmatized group of different brains and we process the world around us in unique, beautiful, but sometimes challenging ways.

A rainbow brain on a black background with white smoke behind it. Text reading: “2024 Weird Brains Tour - Unusual People Normalizing Cannabis”

What is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity describes the vast range of differences in traits and functionality in the human brain. All humanity is neurodiverse. If you’re in a room with at least one other person, you are in a neurodiverse space.

Since all brains are different, some work at different speeds, others have difficulty with focus or managing environmental stimuli like light, sound, or physical touch. Neurodivergent describes individuals whose brains are different in ways that typically creates challenges with navigating the existing system. It’s an umbrella term that encompasses neurological conditions like migraines, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injuries and mental health like autism/ADHD.

One huge way in which all brains are different has to do with the system in the brain that interacts with cannabis, the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

There are known differences in the endocannabinoid system.

The ECS is made up of many different players, and each of them has the potential to be 1) genetically different or 2) present at different levels.

Many genetic mutations that have been identified have an effect on the brain and overall processing of stress and memory. But there are also genetic differences in the ECS linked to metabolic issues like diabetes and obesity and autoimmune disorders. We are still in the early stages of being able to appreciate how diverse our own ECS players can be genetically, but it’s clear that these differences can be significant.

Aside from our genetic differences, our brains can also have very different levels of these ECS players as well as differences in the levels of circulating endocannabinoid signaling molecules. Some brains do not create enough endocannabinoids, which causes many changes throughout the ECS and other systems like serotonin, dopamine, GABA, etc. There’s even a proposed medical theory called “Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency” with links to migraines, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome to this decrease.

But there are also clear links to a diverse array of other neurotypes, or different types of brains, like PTSD, autism/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and more. This is nothing new to the cannabis community. On a community level, we experience relief from over-inflammatory, chronic issues with the gut, the brain, and chronic pain.

The existence of a massive amount of lived experience with cannabis indicates that there should be no scientific dispute to the existence of a neurodivergent population that has increased therapeutic benefits from medical cannabis and that access to this medicine saves lives and reduces the likelihood of other, more harmful lifestyles.

What’s the Weird Brains Tour?

Weird Brains is NAP’s science advocacy project in collaboration with Future4200. Our mission is to stand united to increase accessibility to cannabis by celebrating the diverse and “weird” brains in our community. We will be attending several industry conferences sharing our knowledge, collecting community data, and hosting discussions on the profound impact of cannabis as a community.

Learn more about Weird Brains here!

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REFERENCES

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Bassir Nia, A., Bender, R., & Harpaz-Rotem, I. (2019). Endocannabinoid System Alterations in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Developmental and Accumulative Effects of Trauma. Chronic stress (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 3, 2470547019864096. https://doi.org/10.1177/2470547019864096

Conzelmann, A., Reif, A., Jacob, C., Weyers, P., Lesch, K. P., Lutz, B., & Pauli, P. (2012). A polymorphism in the gene of the endocannabinoid-degrading enzyme FAAH (FAAH C385A) is associated with emotional-motivational reactivity. Psychopharmacology, 224(4), 573–579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-012-2785-y

Doris, J. M., Millar, S. A., Idris, I., & O'Sullivan, S. E. (2019). Genetic polymorphisms of the endocannabinoid system in obesity and diabetes. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism, 21(2), 382–387. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.13504

Foyzun, T., Whiting, M., Velasco, K. K., Jacobsen, J. C., Connor, M., & Grimsey, N. L. (2024). Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the cannabinoid CB2 receptor: Molecular pharmacology and disease associations. British journal of pharmacology, 181(15), 2391–2412. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.16383

Russo E. B. (2016). Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Reconsidered: Current Research Supports the Theory in Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel, and Other Treatment-Resistant Syndromes. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 1(1), 154–165. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2016.0009