Interactive 3D Model
How Cannabis Affects the Body
Rotate the body and click any glowing organ, or search below, to see what cannabis does to it and how strong the evidence actually is.
THC — psychoactive
CBD — non-intoxicating
Explore the organs ↓
Organ by organ
Cannabis does not act on one place. It reaches the lungs, heart, liver and gut by different routes and with very different amounts of evidence behind each effect. Pick an organ to see what is known.
The Big Picture
How it gets there
THCThe part that causes the high. Acts on CB1 receptors found in
the brain, gut and nerves, which is why one drug affects
appetite, heart rate and coordination at once.
CBDNot intoxicating, and its own FDA label says it does not appear
to work through cannabinoid receptors. Most of the solid human
evidence comes from one prescription epilepsy medicine.