eli5: What is the original purpose of cannabinoid receptors in the human body?

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Why did the human body develop the ability to engage with cannabinoids? I’ve heard people postulating that we’re practically build to get high, as a justification for cannabis usage, but I can’t really believe it would be the main cause for this specific natural selection. I mean; from a darwinian perspective it doesn’t really make sense – how would getting high be survival of the fittest? Also, there exist other cannabinoids than THC, so what is the effect of these, and how present are they in our daily lives and what are the effect of these?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

As far as I’m aware, the cannabanoid system is involved in regulating memory. Specifically in “forgetting” superflous information. Throughout the day, we receive all manner of information that is largely irrelevant to our survival and, therefore, not worth storing permanently in our memory. Things like faces and clothing of strangers, vehicles and license plates, road signs and billboards, etc. This is related to the effect that the consumption of Cannabis has on short-term term memory.

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