The benefits and risks of cannabinoids

Abstract

The earliest dated writings about the medicinal use of cannabis can be found in the Chinese pharmacopoeias as early as the second century BCE proving that cannabis saliva, even before pharmacological advances, had been viewed as medicinal. Although the therapeutic effect of cannabis sativa has been known for approximately more than two millennia, it was only roughly 20 years ago that this interest sparked a cause to make cannabis widely available for use for a variety of ailments. In 1980, the anticonvulsant property of marijuana was discovered, however, it was only in 1985 that pharmacological companies were given a go-ahead to start synthesising delta-9-THC preparations for use as therapies. These preparations are dronabinol, nabilone, Sativex and Epidiolex ( derived from CBD) from which therapeutic benefits can be derived.