Does cannabis affect people differently? Len May, CEO and co-founder of Endodna, says yes, and he believes your DNA and your endocannabinoid system are a big reason. He tells Jeremy Van Wert how genetic testing may point to differences in stress reactivity, metabolism and dosing, and why he sees the goal as avoiding adverse effects instead of chasing a high.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Len says everyone has a different endocannabinoid system, which is why the same cannabis product can work well for one person and badly for another.
- He explains that THC has a narrow therapeutic window, so for people with a predisposition to stress reactivity too much may cause anxiety.
- Len describes a DNA report that looks at cognitive conditions, metabolism, dosing and drug interactions, and says its purpose is to mitigate or avoid adverse events.
- He believes "less is more," and that dispensary staff should avoid making claims about what cannabis can cure.
- Len thinks many providers were never taught about the endocannabinoid system, so he encourages patients to ask their own provider about it.
- He sees personalized health as a collaboration with your own health care professional, since "we are all different."
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠDoes cannabis affect people differently? Len May's answer
Len May says the confusion starts with the idea that cannabis is one thing. In his view, we take it into our bodies from outside, and it works differently for different people because each of us has a different endocannabinoid system.
He describes that system, which he says was discovered in 1992, as the body's primary modulating system. It helps keep the other systems in balance, and the brain releases its own compounds, including one called anandamide, in the process. Len says some people may not produce enough of their own, or may carry a genetic predisposition that breaks it down faster than average.
That is why, he says, the plant can help one person and cause trouble for another. He points out that THC has a narrow therapeutic window. If you take more than you need, he says, someone prone to stress reactivity can get anxiety, and people prone to PTSD or depressive states can be affected as well.
Len adds that the plant contains hundreds of molecules, including terpenes that give it its smell. He believes they work together with cannabinoids, which he calls the entourage effect, and says part of his work is figuring out why a given mixture works for one person and not another.
ᚢHow DNA testing for cannabis response works
Len compares your DNA to a GPS for life that shows where your own potholes are. Endodna, he says, is a testing company that gives health care professionals that information so they can build a plan for the individual and then measure how it works.
He walks through the process: a cheek swab, registration under a coded record, a lab turnaround of a few weeks and a portal with color-coded results. He says the cannabis-related reports look at symptomatic conditions such as stress reactivity and fear extinction, metabolism through the cytochrome P450 genes, dosing and drug interactions with prescription medications.
Len says the company can also match products to a person's genetics using a product's certificate of analysis. When Endodna met with the FDA, he says, the stated purpose of the test was to help people mitigate or avoid a possible adverse event.
ᚦCannabis and ADHD: Len's experience
Jeremy has ADHD and works with many people who do, so he asked how this applies. Len says he cannot recommend anything for someone without looking at their data, because everyone's system is different.
Len describes ADHD as a dopamine issue and prefers to see it as a difference to work with. He says people with ADHD can hyperfocus on stimulating things, which for him means painting, and that the answer is to channel that into positive sources of stimulation and build guardrails that fit you.
He shares his own history. He says prescription medication helped him focus but removed his sense of self. In his teens a cigarette with cannabis in it narrowed the windows that were always open in his head, and he later stopped his medication. That is his personal story, not advice, and nobody should change a prescription without talking with their prescriber. Readers who want support with focus and structure can look at ADHD coaching with Jeremy.
ᚨWhere cannabis laws may be headed
Len says he does not see cannabis competing with big pharma, but as something pharma has not yet worked out how to monetize. He notes that an FDA-approved drug for a childhood epilepsy exists, and he describes earlier attempts to turn one molecule into a medicine that did not match the whole plant.
He believes legislation and stigma shaped how cannabis is perceived. Looking ahead, he expects rescheduling and more clinical and observational studies, with two paths: a prescription route and a nutraceutical route similar to vitamins. A key gap, he says, is consistency in labeling and testing so that people know what they are putting in their bodies.
He also says there are thousands of published studies but too few human clinical trials, and that his company is in a phase two trial at Harvard on anxiety. These are his views.
ᚱWhy dispensary staff and health care providers need training
Len says it is striking that people rely on a young person in a store, often with little education, to guide them toward a medicine. His training for dispensary staff is built on the idea that less is more: look at what symptom someone is addressing, and avoid claims about what cannabis can cure.
He argues that body weight does not predict response. He describes his business partner, who is a bigger man but a slow metabolizer, and says metabolic function matters more. He also says someone new to cannabis should not be handed high-THC concentrates and should start with something more balanced.
For doctors, Len says many were never taught genetics or the endocannabinoid system. He recalls a conference where one speaker covered it for about ten minutes over several days. He wants the system itself discussed more than the plant, and he encourages patients to ask their provider whether a pharmacogenomics test might be relevant.
ᚲFrom immigrant kid in Philadelphia to the cannabis industry
Len was born in Lithuania and came to the United States at six, during the Cold War. He says he had to learn English and everything else from scratch while his parents worked, and that ADHD added its own challenge.
He describes working at a record store, studying and holding other jobs before moving to Los Angeles, where he became a partner in a dispensary. There he saw two people try the same cannabis variety and have completely different experiences, which he says started him on a mission. That curiosity led him to combine plant genetics with human genetics.
Len ends with a reminder that we are all different, and that our care should reflect it. If you want to keep talking about healing and support, Thriving Spirits, the Mindful Mutiny community, offers real conversation. You can also ask whether therapy and retreat work suits you. Len's own advice is to take your questions to your provider.
Cannabis may be illegal where you live and isn't right for everyone. Nothing here is a recommendation to use any substance. Talk with your own health care provider about your situation.
ᚨ Questions people ask
Does cannabis affect everyone differently?
Len May says yes. He explains that each person has a different endocannabinoid system, and genetic differences can change how much of the body's own compounds you make and how you metabolize cannabinoids.
What is the endocannabinoid system?
Len describes it as the body's primary modulating system, which he says helps keep other systems in balance. He says it has receptors called CB1 and CB2, and that the body makes its own compounds that bind to them.
What does a cannabis DNA test look at?
Len says Endodna's report covers cognitive conditions such as stress reactivity, metabolism through the cytochrome P450 genes, dosing, and possible interactions with prescription medications. He says the goal is to avoid or reduce adverse events.
Why might cannabis affect people with ADHD differently?
Len links ADHD to dopamine and says responses vary because everyone's system is different. He says he cannot recommend anything without seeing a person's data, and his own story is not medical advice.
Should you talk to your doctor before trying cannabis?
Len encourages people to collaborate with a health care professional and to ask whether pharmacogenomics testing might be relevant. He describes personalized health as a conversation with your own provider.