Cannabis is one of the oldest cultivated plants and has been used as food, oil, textiles and medicine for over 5,000 years. Cannabis was extensively grown as a commercial crop and was widely used medicinally in the US and Europe prior to restrictions introduced in the 1930’s. Controversy surrounds its removal from the American pharmacopeia with the American Medical Association protesting its removal in the 1940s.
The discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) within the human body and other mammals led to an increase in therapeutic study. ECS is an important neuro-modulatory system that assists the body in maintaining homeostasis (equilibrium). Diseases can decrease the body’s natural ability to return to equilibrium. For further explanation and an overview of the endocannabinoid system see the article by Prof. Lumir Hanuš here.
For more information, please see the further reading list below.
Further Reading
GOVERNING BODIES AND OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
- World Health Organisation, Expert Committee on Drug Dependence 39th Meeting: Cannabidiol (CBD) Pre-review Report, Agenda Item 5.2
- Ailments allowed under State of Connecticut, USA: Medicinal Cannabis Program
- Australian Government, Department of Health - Therapeutic Goods Administration: Medicinal Cannabis Consumers Factsheet
- Australian Government, Department of Health - Therapeutic Goods Administration: GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS
Access documents by clicking on them below
ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM
- 'The Endocannabinoid System as an Emerging Target of Pharmacotherapy' published by Pharmacol Rev 58(3):389-462, Sep 2006
- 'Getting High on the Endocannabinoid System' published by Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science, v:2013 - Nov-Dec
- 'Meet Lumir Hanuš, Who Discovered the First Endocannabinoid' published on Leafly
OPIOIDS VS MEDICINAL CANNABIS
- 'Associations between medical cannabis and prescription opioid use in chronic pain patients: A preliminary cohort study' published by PLOS One 12(11): e0187795
- 'Prescribing cannabis for harm reduction' published by Harm Reduction Journal 2012 9:1
ABOUT CBD
- 'Research Shows CBD Benefits 50+ Conditions' by CBD Origin
- 'The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research' published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017 Washington DC
PAIN
- 'The Endocannabinoid System, Cannabinoids, and Pain' published by Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal 4(4): ee0022 Oct 2013
- 'Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in chronic pain' from the Australian Government, Department of Health - Therapeutic Goods Administration
- 'Pain studies and trials' by the Australian Government, Department of Health - Therapeutic Goods Administration
- 'Medicinal Cannabis: History, Pharmacology, And Implications for the Acute Care Setting' published by Pharmacy and Therapeutics 42(3): 180-188
- 'Re-branding cannabis: the next generation of chronic pain medicine?' published by Pain Management 5:1 2014
EPILEPSY, PTSD AND OTHER NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
- 'Cannabidiol: Pharmacology and potential therapeutic role in epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders' published by Epilepsia 55:6 2014
- 'Effectiveness of Cannabidiol Oil for Pediatric Anxiety and Insomnia as Part of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report' published by The Permanente Journal 20(4):108-111 2016
- 'Endocannabinoid system: Role in depression, reward and pain control (Review)' published by Molecular Medicine Reports 14(4):2899-2903 2016