Stefan Broselid, PhD, is a molecular pharmacologist and creator of ECS.education, an independent scientific education initiative focused on the human endocannabinoid system. His work starts from the premise that safer cannabinoid care requires understanding not only the product and dose, but also the biological system receiving that dose.
Cannabis education frequently begins with cannabinoids, products, and dosing. Broselid’s work examines the physiology behind those variables, translating research on receptor pharmacology, tolerance, metabolism, sleep, stress, nutrition, and physiological adaptation into practical education for healthcare professionals and the cannabis community. The endocannabinoid system is a homeostatic signaling network involved in processes including sleep, metabolism, stress response, pain, autonomic function, neuroplasticity, and physiological adaptation.
That perspective becomes especially important when tolerance develops. Repeated THC exposure can alter CB1 receptor availability and signaling. When a patient experiences diminished effects, the intuitive response may be to increase the dose, but dose escalation does not necessarily address the underlying physiological adaptation and may increase impairment, adverse effects, cost, or dependence risk.
Individual response adds another layer of complexity. Receptor availability, metabolism, diet, sleep, stress, medications, and other physiological factors may influence how a person responds to cannabinoids. Rather than asking only how much cannabis a patient is taking, Broselid’s work asks whether measurable changes in the patient’s biological response may help explain why the same dose no longer produces the same effect.
His related research through ECSre.store explores noninvasive physiological measures of CB1-related adaptation, including sleep EEG and heart-rate variability. The research is investigating whether physiological signals could eventually help distinguish inadequate treatment from pharmacological tolerance and provide a more objective basis for individualized cannabinoid dosing and treatment decisions.
This research could shift the focus of cannabinoid response research from subjective observation to measurable, comparable, and testable hypotheses. A clearer understanding of tolerance and physiological adaptation could help researchers and healthcare professionals determine when a patient may need a higher dose, a different treatment strategy, or time for the biological system itself to readjust.
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“ECS.education is honored to be recognized for work advancing cannabis safety. My focus is on helping clinicians and patients understand the biology behind cannabinoid response — particularly CB1 receptor adaptation, tolerance, and the physiological state in which cannabis is used. Through ECSre.store, I am also working to translate that physiology into measurable biomarkers that may ultimately help distinguish inadequate treatment from pharmacological tolerance. Safer cannabinoid medicine requires us to understand not only the dose, but also the adaptive biological system receiving that dose.” |
The Discovery Award recognizes research that opens new ways of investigating familiar cannabis safety questions. Broselid’s work pushes cannabinoid medicine beyond dose alone by examining tolerance, physiological adaptation, and the endocannabinoid system as potential foundations for safer and more individualized care.
Learn more about Stefan Broselid: ECS.education
Cast your vote for Stefan Broselid for the 2026 Discovery Award.
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