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Missouri Cannabis Education
How Can the ECS and THC Benefit Our Overall Wellness?
A consumer-friendly focus on the science behind the endocannabinoid system( ECS) and THC.
Leah by Leah Maurer, contributing writer
Leah Maurer, a native Missourian, is a canna journalist and activist living in Portland, OR. She is a co-owner of The Weed Blog www. theweedblog. com Co-Owner 420-420 Digital Media Solutions and the text code 420-420. In 2014, Maurer founded Moms for Yes on Measure 91 through grassroots efforts alone, which proved pivotal in adult-use legalization in Oregon. During that time, she also co-founded Show-Me Cannabis to help launch the legalization effort in Missouri. Maurer is a social justice activist at the core and hopes to see the end to the prohibition of cannabis globally.
I talk with people all the time who know cannabis helps them but don’ t understand the science behind it, so it is hard for them to explain that to others, especially if they are skeptical. For my final column of 2025, I wanted to circle back on a topic I covered in the January 2025 issue of The EVOLUTION Magazine, but with a more consumer-friendly focus.
We all know that cannabis consumption can have a variety of effects on the human body, but do we know how and why? As consumers and advocates, it is important that we understand how the endocannabinoid system operates within our bodies and why this matters to our overall physical and mental well-being. This information was hidden by propaganda and conjecture for decades, and we are still pushing back against that and the overall stigma around the cannabis plant.
The endocannabinoid system, or ECS, is one of the most fascinating and complex biological systems in the human body. It plays a critical role in maintaining balance, or homeostasis, across nearly all major physiological functions, from mood regulation and appetite to immune response and pain perception. The ECS acts as a communication network between the brain, body, and internal organs, continually working to keep everything in balance.
Cannabis interacts directly with the endocannabinoid system( ECS) through its cannabinoids, which mimic the body’ s own endocannabinoids and help support overall physical and mental wellness. Understanding how this system functions and how cannabis engages with it offers valuable insight into why so many people find therapeutic benefit in cannabis use, and ways for you as a consumer to help explain the benefits of cannabis to others.
At its core, the ECS consists of three primary components: endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes. Endocannabinoids are molecules produced by the body that are chemically similar to cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. The two most wellstudied endocannabinoids are anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, or 2-AG. These molecules are produced as needed to help regulate a wide range of internal processes. They act like messengers, traveling to specific receptor sites to deliver signals that trigger certain responses, including calming overactive neurons, reducing inflammation, or encouraging relaxation.
The receptors they bind to are scattered throughout the body and brain. The two main types are CB1 and CB2 receptors.
● CB1 receptors are found predominantly in the brain and central nervous system, particularly in regions associated with mood, memory, motor control, and pain perception.
● CB2 receptors, meanwhile, are located mostly in the immune system, peripheral tissues, and organs.
● Together, these receptors act as control points that help regulate internal communication.
● When endocannabinoids bind to them, they essentially tell the body whether to
12 December 2025