Cannabis and the Body: Stretching High, Part 1

Plant-assisted movement isn’t a new trend — it’s an old relationship resurfacing. Across cultures, cannabis has long appeared alongside dance, athletic ritual, martial arts, and embodied meditation. What we’re doing now is studying what people already knew: the plant changes how the body feels, moves, and learns. 

This three-part series traces that relationship through the body’s own systems — muscle tone, fascia, interoception, proprioception, and long-term movement adaptation — to understand how cannabis shifts not just sensation, but movement intelligence itself.

How Cannabis Works in the Body

Cannabis talk usually circles around the head trip — the mood shifts, perception changes, and all that psychedelic sparkle. But here’s the twist: the plant hits the body just as hard, and sometimes even deeper. Both science and lived experience show that cannabis taps into the systems that keep us moving — muscle tone (your muscles’ baseline tightness), fascia (the stretchy connective web that wraps muscles and organs), flexibility, and somatic perception (your felt sense of your own body). 

For many, those effects come alive when they’re actually in motion. Picture yoga, post-rehab stretching, or just peeling off the tension from a long workday. That’s where cannabis seems to turn up body awareness, ease stiffness, and sometimes shave time off recovery. 

Behind the curtain is the endocannabinoid system (ECS) — your body’s built-in cannabis-like network. It’s made up of CB1 and CB2 receptors (the “locks” on your cells), your own natural cannabinoids like anandamide and 2-AG (the “keys”), and enzymes that keep the system balanced. The ECS helps regulate inflammation, pain, muscle tone, and even skin health. When cannabis steps in with its own keys — THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids — it tweaks those locks and shifts how tissues respond to stress, strain, and movement. 

That’s why movers of all kinds — athletes, dancers, physical therapists — say cannabis “unlocks” tight muscles, makes stretching more fun, and smooths the road into flow. Underneath the vibe are shifts in neurotransmitters like GABA (your nervous system’s “chill” chemical) and glutamate (its “go” chemical), plus a calming effect on muscle spindles (tiny stretch sensors in muscle fibers) and local inflammation. 

But let’s be clear: cannabis isn’t a free pass. Higher doses can slow coordination, fuzz your proprioception (your body’s internal GPS), and stretch reaction times — risks that stack up if you move too aggressively without awareness. 

This article takes a two-part lens: first, how cannabis works on the body — from skin to muscle to fascia — and second, how those shifts show up in stretching and movement practices. So how does this play out, tissue by tissue? To really see cannabis in action, we’ve got to start at the surface — skin, muscle, fascia — and trace how the plant rewires the body’s response from the outside in. 

Mapping the Body’s Response: From Skin to Fascia 

Cannabis doesn’t just change how your head feels — it rewires how your body responds when you move. Whether you’re on a yoga mat or in physical therapy, the plant acts on three main systems: 

• the endocannabinoid system (your body’s balancing network)
• the neuromuscular system (the nerves that fire muscles)
• connective tissue mechanics (how tissues stretch and recover)

THC and CBD, cannabis’s two best-known compounds, can tweak these systems subtly or dramatically, depending on dose, delivery, and your baseline physiology.

Skin and Peripheral Receptors 

The skin, your largest sensory organ, is loaded with cannabinoid receptors. CB1 receptors sit mostly in sensory nerves, while CB2 receptors cluster in immune cells. When cannabis compounds bind here, they can change how pain signals (nociception) are processed, ease local inflammation, and even shift microcirculation (blood flow in tiny capillaries). That’s why stretching high sometimes feels tingly, warm, or extra sensitive to touch. 

Muscle Tone and Neuromuscular Relaxation 

At the neuromuscular junction — the meeting point where nerves tell muscles to contract — cannabis can dampen the release of neurotransmitters like acetylcholine (the “contract” signal). It also affects gamma motor neurons that tune muscle spindles, the tiny sensors inside fibers that resist overstretching. When those spindles chill out, baseline tension drops, and muscles feel “looser” or “more fluid.” That’s the science behind why cannabis users often say stretches feel smoother or less guarded. 

Fascia and Interoception 

Beneath the muscles is fascia — the connective tissue webbing that wraps and links muscles, joints, and organs. Fascia is alive with mechanoreceptors (pressure sensors) and nociceptors (pain sensors), feeding signals into the insular cortex, the brain’s hub for interoception (the sense of what’s happening inside the body — heartbeat, breath, tightness). Cannabis seems to heighten interoceptive sensitivity, making stretches feel more immersive and embodied. The flip side: push too far, and that same sensitivity can make discomfort sharper instead of softer. 

Inflammation and Recovery Windows 

The ECS also controls inflammation through cytokines — chemical messengers that tell the immune system when to activate or back off. THC and CBD can dampen pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-6, shifting the body toward recovery. In practice, this might mean less delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and quicker return to normal elasticity after workouts. 

Central Integration — Why the Brain Feels the Stretch Differently 

Finally, cannabis changes how the central nervous system (CNS) — your brain and spinal cord — processes movement. It can quiet the default mode network (DMN), the brain’s background “chatter,” while boosting circuits that integrate touch and movement. This makes stretching feel more novel, meditative, and pleasurable, and can even help break habitual posture or movement ruts. 

Cannabis doesn’t act on just one layer. It links skin, muscle, fascia, and brain into one system-level experience: part science, part vibe. Think of it as a master switch that retunes the body’s feedback loops and makes stretching feel less mechanical, more embodied. 

But the body is only half the story. Once those signals reach the brain, cannabis reshapes how movement is planned, felt, and fine-tuned — which is where the neurophysiology comes in. 

Neurophysiological Pathways: Cannabis & Movement

Your nervous system is always running a background conversation between your brain and body — taking in pressure, balance, stretch, and movement signals and turning them into smooth motion. Cannabis slips into this dialogue, sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically, by altering how brain circuits handle proprioception (your body’s GPS for limb position) and kinesthesia (your sense of movement). 

Most of this happens through CB1 receptors clustered in the cerebellum (balance and coordination), basal ganglia (timing and motor control), and motor cortex (movement planning). When THC locks into these sites, it tweaks the release of neurotransmitters like GABA (the brake pedal) and glutamate (the accelerator). The result: muscles may relax, tension eases, and movement feels smoother or lighter. That’s why some users say cannabis makes them feel “more in tune” with their body during yoga or stretching. 

The effect doesn’t stop at movement planning. Cannabis also touches the somatosensory cortex — the brain region that maps touch and body awareness. Under its influence, sensations can feel more vivid, and time itself often stretches. That extra sense of duration makes poses feel immersive, giving space to notice micro-adjustments: fascia tightness, uneven balance, or subtle posture tweaks that normally slide under the radar. 

Cannabis also lights up the insular cortex — the same interoceptive hub we saw in Section 2. By boosting awareness of heartbeat, fatigue, and breath, it makes stretching sessions feel more embodied, like you’re actually “listening” to the body in real time. Done mindfully, this can mean safer, smarter adjustments instead of forcing strain. 

But context matters. At higher THC doses, proprioception blurs. The cerebellum’s fine-tuning can get fuzzy, balance wobbles, and joint angles feel “off.” That’s when overstretching and clumsy missteps creep in. The same cannabis that deepens awareness in one range can throw it off in another. 

There’s also a long-game possibility here. Both cannabis and practice alone can spark neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to rewire circuits. Together, they may create an environment where body-awareness skills learned on the mat — like posture correction or mindful alignment — stick faster and run deeper. Early evidence from exercise neuroscience suggests the ECS plays a key role in learning new motor patterns. 

Cannabis can be a movement enhancer or a disruptor. The difference depends on dose, cannabinoid profile, your tolerance, and the demands of the activity. For people pairing it with stretching or somatic practice, the trick is knowing how it shapes proprioception and motor control — and using that knowledge to reap benefits without stumbling into risks.

Cannabis & the Body 

In part one, we explore exactly how cannabis interacts in the body through the tissues and why it makes movement feel different. In part two, we’ll dive into how those signals work in your brain to create softer, easier movement – and how you can take advantage of that. 

Stay tuned for part 2, next week!

About the Author 

RN Collins is a 1L at Northeastern University School of Law and a neuroscientist exploring how brain health and the environment intersect. Through her writing, she bridges academic research and science communication to reframe how psychoactive plants and other traditional and alternative medicines are understood. She’s building a career that connects law, technology, and creativity—and welcomes conversations and opportunities across fields that share that vision. Connect with her on LinkedIn!

References  

• Baswan, S. M., Klosner, A. E., Glynn, K., Rajgopal, A., Malik, K., Yim, S., & Stern, N. (2020). Therapeutic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) for skin health and disorders. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 13, 927–942. https://doi.org/ 10.2147/CCID.S286411 
• Craft, R. M., Marusich, J. A., & Wiley, J. L. (2013). Sex differences in cannabinoid pharmacology: A reflection of differences in the endocannabinoid system? Life Sciences, 92(8–9), 476–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2012.06.009 
• Di Marzo, V., Stella, N., & Zimmer, A. (2015). Endocannabinoid signalling and the deteriorating brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(1), 30–42. https://doi.org/10.1038/ nrn3876 
• Hill, M. N., Hillard, C. J., & Gorzalka, B. B. (2012). Temporal and regional variations in the expression of endocannabinoid signaling-related proteins in the brain during development and in adulthood. Neuropharmacology, 62(3), 1488–1501. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.016 
• Kennedy, M. C., Grierson, M. J., & Bell, R. (2019). Cannabis and exercise science: A commentary on existing literature and future directions. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00314 
• Lu, H. C., & Mackie, K. (2016). An introduction to the endogenous cannabinoid system. Biological Psychiatry, 79(7), 516–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.028 
• Morales, P., Hurst, D. P., & Reggio, P. H. (2017). Molecular targets of the phytocannabinoids: A complex picture. Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products, 103, 103–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45541-9_4 
• Pertwee, R. G. (2008). The diverse CB1 and CB2 receptor pharmacology of three plant cannabinoids: Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabivarin. British Journal of Pharmacology, 153(2), 199–215. https://doi.org/10.1038/ sj.bjp.0707442 
• Philpott, H. T., OʼBrien, M., & McDougall, J. J. (2017). Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis. Pain, 158(12), 2442–2451. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001052 
• Ramaekers, J. G., Robbe, H. W. J., & O’Hanlon, J. F. (2006). Marijuana, alcohol and actual driving performance. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 15(7), 551–558. https://doi.org/10.1002/hup.216 
• Ware, M. A., Jensen, D., Barrette, A., Vernec, A., & Derman, W. (2018). Cannabis and the health and performance of the elite athlete. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 28(5), 480–484. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000673
• Pucci, M., Rapino, C., Di Francesco, A., Dainese, E., D’Addario, C., & Maccarrone, M. (2013). Epigenetic control of skin differentiation genes by phytocannabinoids. British Journal of Pharmacology, 170(3), 581–591. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.12309 → Evidence of CB1 and CB2 expression in skin layers and functional roles.
• Matsuda, L. A., Lolait, S. J., Brownstein, M. J., Young, A. C., & Bonner, T. I. (1990). Structure of a cannabinoid receptor and functional expression of the cloned cDNA. Nature, 346(6284), 561–564. https://doi.org/10.1038/346561a0
• Schleip, R., Jäger, H., & Klingler, W. (2019). What is ‘fascia’? A review of different nomenclatures. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 23(3), 483–492. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.04.006
• Ceccarelli, F., Mori, F., & Perricone, C. (2020). Cannabinoids in rheumatic diseases: Potential therapeutic applications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(13), 4670. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21134670
• Mechoulam, R., & Parker, L. A. (2013). The endocannabinoid system and the brain. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 21–47. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev psych-113011-143739
• Raichlen, D. A., Foster, A. D., Seillier, A., Giuffrida, A., & Gerdeman, G. L. (2012). Wired to run: Exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implications for the ‘runner’s high’. Journal of Experimental Biology, 215(8), 1331–1336. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.063677 
• Dietrich, A., & McDaniel, W. F. (2004). Endocannabinoids and exercise. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 38(5), 536–541. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2004.011718 
• Fusco, G., Leemhuis, E., Sani, L., Sforza, E., & Aglioti, S. M. (2020). Cannabis and the perception of the body: An fMRI study on the role of the insula. NeuroImage, 216, 116875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116875 
• Fuss, J., Steinle, J., Bindila, L., Auer, M. K., Kirchherr, H., Lutz, B., & Gass, P. (2015). A runner’s high depends on cannabinoid receptors in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(42), 13105–13108. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1514996112 
• Hill, M. N., McLaughlin, R. J., Morrish, A. C., Viau, V., Floresco, S. B., Hillard, C. J., & Gorzalka, B. B. (2010). Suppression of amygdalar endocannabinoid signaling by stress contributes to activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(13), 2730–2741. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2010.141 
• Rog, D. J., Nurmikko, T. J., Young, C. A., & Sagar, H. J. (2005). Randomized, controlled trial of cannabis-based medicine in central pain in multiple sclerosis. Neurology, 65(6), 812–819. https:// doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000176753.45410.8b