The THC in Medical Cannabis can induce feelings of intoxication in patients. Such feelings are expected. Likewise, Medical Cannabis patients can, and do, experience strange or enhanced thoughts while medicated. Such thoughts come with the territory. Know that you are not alone in experiencing them.
If you have ever wondered why your thought patterns may seem strange, science may have provided the answer. Multiple studies looking at brain activity and blood flow have reached some interesting conclusions where cannabis is concerned. We found a great article from Cannigma discussing the research in detail; we summarize it below.
Blood flow is critical to nearly every system in the human body. Increasing blood flow changes everything – at least in the moment. Consider blood flow to your skin on hot days. The things your body does on hot days are remarkably different as compared to cold days.
In hot weather, it is unhealthy for your body to retain heat. So to get rid of some of it, blood flow to the skin is increased. This helps the skin eliminate some of the excess heat through perspiration. On the other hand, blood flow to the skin decreases in cold temperatures. The body naturally withdraws blood from the skin in order to conserve heat internally.
This basic illustration shows just how important blood flow is to one particular organ. As you might have guessed, it is as important to the brain as it is to the skin. So just as with the skin, increasing or reducing blood flow to the brain impacts what the brain does.
The previously mentioned research seems to suggest that increasing blood flow to the brain impacts several key areas of the brain, all of which contribute to thought patterns. The largest increase in blood flow due to THC intake occurs in the frontal lobe. The brain’s frontal lobe is responsible for a whole host of functions, including reasoning, thought organization, sensory data processing, and cognition.
Increasing blood flow to the frontal lobe can enhance its functional activities. Increased functional ability opens the brain to new thoughts and ideas that may seem strange to a person. That could be the case with you. When you use Medical Cannabis, you may find yourself thinking things you never would have thought under normal blood flow conditions.
THC consumption alsoincreases blood flow to the right hemisphere and the cingulate cortex, thusincreases their functional states as well. You may wish to refer to the Cannigma article for more on what happens when these regions are more active.
All in all, those strange thoughts you might have when using Medical Cannabis are most likely the normal result of increased blood flow to the brain. They are likely nothing to be afraid of. However, you should not hesitate to reach out to your medical provider regarding any concerns you do have about your thought patterns.
When it comes to those strange thoughts Medical Cannabis users sometimes have, it all boils down to blood flow. Medical Cannabis increases blood flow to key areas of the brain. In turn, the brain is open to all sorts of thoughts that are otherwise suppressed. We hope that you enjoy your heightened mental state!
