Cannabis and Grief: The Science of How Our Bodies Are Custom-Built to Process Cannabis While Coping with the Death of a Loved One

Two of the most stressful things you can experience in life pertain to the death of a loved one, an event that generates grief. The American Psychological Association defines “grief” as “the anguish experienced after significant loss, usually the death of a beloved person.” When the grief is acute and/or prolonged, symptoms listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders include “feeling as though a part of oneself has died.” 

Trauma like losing a loved one takes on that severity because grief occurs to you not only mentally but also physically. Thus, to get you through grief, you would benefit from undergoing a treatment that engages your body constructively at both of those levels. One such treatment comes from cannabis. If you or someone you know is immersed in acute/prolonged grief, consider the following information.

Grief rewires your brain – painfully.

While you are forming an emotional bond with someone, the molecules in your brain build that person into your physical body. Anatomically, your beloved literally becomes a part of you; they’re in your brain in a very physical way. They are woven into your neural map, wired into your nervous system every bit as much as your ability to wink or smile or raise your hand.

Photo Credit: John A Beal, PhD. Dep’t. of Cellular Biology & Anatomy, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport., CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

Consequently, when you lose someone you love, the part of your brain that you built just for your beloved is slowly torn apart as the molecules deconstruct it. Like a condemned building, it is blasted, bulldozed and excavated, bit by bit, until nothing remains but the debris of your memories. Hence the debilitating anguish, as well as the physical and mental symptoms (confusion, forgetfulness, etc.). So, although grief is seldom recognized as being a destructive force, the demolition it executes during what’s known as “neural bereavement” is a rather violent process. 

Photo by Yunus Emre Ilıca/pexels.com

The “Psychology Today” article “How Grief Changes the Brain” explains neural bereavement: 

“Researchers have identified what they call ‘here, now, close’ neurons that evolved to help us keep track of the loved ones on whom we depend. When our loved one’s corporeal presence suddenly vanishes (and it feels abrupt, even when expected), our brains don’t stop looking right away. They must learn over time that the person is no longer here, now, close.

“And, studying voles, researchers spotted what they call ‘partner approach neurons’ in the amygdala. These are ‘neurons that are specifically firing as you approach your partner,’ says [Mary-Frances] O’Connor. ‘As the bonds get stronger there are more of these neurons.’ What happens to those neurons when that loved one is gone? We don’t yet know.”

This is what is transpiring in your brain, well beyond the continuous onslaught of intense emotions that can have you bawling on the floor in the fetal position. So, if you’re experiencing acute/prolonged grief, you’re going through a lot more than merely missing someone – which is horrific enough on its own.

Photo by Timur Weber/pexels.com

Our brain has doors that only cannabis can unlock.

Despite being a controlled substance labeled as a drug and categorized with heroin and LSD, cannabis is just a plant – not something concocted in a laboratory, just something that sprouts from the earth. In practical terms, cannabis belongs in a category with other plants whose compounds have medicinal purposes, such as eucalyptus, lavender, mint and ginger. The latter of those, interestingly enough, treats nausea but can also give you a buzz. However, you won’t be fined and jailed for “possession of ginger.”   

Photo by Pixabay

What sets cannabis apart from those other plants beyond its legal status is that it has its own system in nearly every animal’s body: the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Ethan B. Russo explains in “Trends in Pharmacological Sciences”: 

“The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a homeostatic regulator of neurotransmitter activity and almost every other physiological system in the body. Its name derives from cannabis, the plant that produces cannabinoids (tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, caryophyllene, and others).” 

In the same publication, Christopher J. Fowler points out that the ECS “is not restricted to the brain, and is involved in processes as disparate as the control of pain, neuronal development, food intake, reproduction and gut motility, to mention but a few.”

A Harvard Medical School article by Dr. Peter Grinspoon notes:

“The ECS comprises a vast network of chemical signals and cellular receptors that are densely packed throughout our brains and bodies. The ‘cannabinoid’ receptors in the brain — the CB1 receptors — outnumber many of the other receptor types on the brain. They act like traffic cops to control the levels and activity of most of the other neurotransmitters. This is how they regulate things: by immediate feedback, turning up or down the activity of whichever system needs to be adjusted, whether that is hunger, temperature, or alertness.

“To stimulate these receptors, our bodies produce molecules called endocannabinoids, which have a structural similarity to molecules in the cannabis plant. The first endocannabinoid that was discovered was named anandamide after the Sanskrit word ananda for bliss. All of us have tiny cannabis-like molecules floating around in our brains. The cannabis plant, which humans have been using for about 5,000 years, essentially works its effect by hijacking this ancient cellular machinery.”

Excerpting an ECS article in “Nature Reviews Neurology”:

“Cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2), the two endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and endocannabinoid anabolic and catabolic enzymes form the endocannabinoid system. Endocannabinoid signalling is involved in regulation of cell, tissue, organ and organism homeostasis, brain development, neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity, and cytokine release from microglia, and hence is implicated in multiple neurological disorders. … Endocannabinoids can activate different receptors and their biosynthetic and catabolic pathways are often shared with other mediators. Consequently, the system is considered to be part of an expanded signalling system, the endocannabinoidome. … The existence of the endocannabinoidome explains in part why some non-euphoric cannabinoids, which affect several endocannabinoidome proteins, are useful for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.”

Your brain’s built-in cannabinoid receptors can be activated to help you during neural bereavement.

The above sources and countless others attest to the far-reaching impact of the ECS on how you experience life physically, mentally and emotionally. As pertains to comforting you during grief as your brain is reconstructing itself, here’s what happens at the molecular level when you engage your cannabinoid receptors.

Core to your brain’s physical survival during neural bereavement is the phenomenon of neuroplasticity (aka brain plasticity). This refers to the brain’s ability to create new neural pathways and modify existing neural pathways, those pathways (specifically, neurons) being what governs the way your body functions. 

Specifically, what you need during post-loss rewiring is neurogenesis, the creation of new pathways. Summarizing studies on cannabis and neuroplasticity, FloraFlex identifies five ways in which this plant helps in this function: 

• Hippocampal neurogenesis
• Synaptic plasticity
• Neuroinflammation
• Neuroprotection 
• Functional connectivity 

In our article “Can CBD Reverse Memory Loss?,” we cover the above functions and more. Photo by SHVETS production/pexels.com

Among cannabis’s 100-plus cannabinoids is cannabidiol (CBD), the cannabinoid that is key to our ECS’s role in neurogenesis. The regeneration takes place in the hippocampal region, one of the two proposed sites of adult neurogenesis. Some in the neuroscience community debate whether our brains still produce new neural pathways once we’ve reached adulthood; hence the two “proposed” sites. However, as BrainFutures explains in as much detail as possible, the fact is: 

“Until recently, scientists believed that brain development came to a halt during adulthood. But researchers now know that our brains change constantly throughout our lives, forming new pathways to adjust to our environment and actions. For example, neuroplasticity allows the brain to compensate for injury and disease.”

In his BrainFutures conference presentation “Neuroplasticity 101,” Dr. Bruce Wexler, professor emeritus of psychiatry and senior research scientist at the Yale School of Medicine, discusses the principles of neuroplasticity.

Of note, CBD is a non-psychoactive compound (unlike THC, a better-known cannabinoid). Also, it does not lead to tolerance or dependence and has a remarkable safety profile. Considering that CBD is all natural (unlike drugs, which are manufactured synthetically), it makes perfect sense that it doesn’t damage you while helping you.

Regular physician-approved, legal CBD consumption over a defined period can help your brain as you process the loss of your loved one.

There are numerous ways to consume CBD for its pro-neurogenic effects. CBD products are often labeled as “hemp” products to show that they are under the U.S. government limit for THC per the 2018 Farm Bill. From Subtitle G–Hemp Production (p. 420) in that bill: “The term ‘hemp’ means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.” So, when shopping, you’ll likely find CBD among a vendor’s hemp options.

The following products have received excellent reviews. Head Magazine receives no commission if you elect to purchase them, and, as always, we insist that you obtain your physician’s approval first and adhere to all laws where you live before trying these. (Note: Links are subject to change following publication without Head Magazine’s knowledge.)

• CBDistillery CBD oil tincture
• cbdMD broad-spectrum CBD oil tincture
• CBDfx full-spectrum CBD capsules
• SOUL CBD gummies, oil drops and capsules
• Colorado Botanicals full-spectrum CBD softgels and gummies

Conclusion

The death of a spouse, family member, pet or any other thing you’ve bound your heart and brain to will ravage you more than anyone often admits. It’s a drawn-out process, and one that carries on for as long as it takes; there is no “average,” no “five stages” to pass through and be done. 

You can tough it out patiently at a time when one second can feel like one decade, yet one year can feel like one day, too, or you can give your brain a boost at the molecular level. With CBD, you can amp up the neuroplasticity and cell regeneration needed to physically recover from this trauma. If nothing else, it might comfort you just to know there’s a safe option out there. And if you’re living through grief right now, Head Magazine sends you all of our love and good vibes. 

The information in this article and any included images are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations or your health, you should always consult an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.

Kathleen Hearons is a writer, editor, linguist and voice over actor from Los Angeles. She specializes in creative writing and research-intensive analysis and reporting.

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