As researchers are continuing to learn more about the human body’s endocannabinoid system, they’re discovering that some people are incapable of feeling edibles’ psychoactive effects. For a long time there have been very few theories to explain this trend, but a recent hypothesis that’s been gaining traction in the scientific community is a promising start to finding real answers.
The ground-breaking hypothesis is that people who have an abnormal variation of a key liver enzyme are overly efficient at processing any THC they’ve ingested. As we’ve previously discussed, THC is processed by the liver and broken down to become more bioavailable while it’s being digested; anyone who doesn’t feel the effects of THC that they’ve ingested are likely having it broken down and processed so quickly that it doesn’t have the necessary time to produce psychoactive effects.
Other variables are also believed to play a role in peoples’ inability to feel psychoactive effects from cannabis edibles, including how easily their bodies are able to absorb and metabolize fats. Researchers have even come to believe that this trend stems from a genetic source. They’ve found that a strong majority of subjects who are unable to get high from edibles have at least one family member with the same issue. These fascinating realizations are some of the first discoveries that will shape what we all know about cannabis and the human endocannabinoid system.