Systematic reviews about medicinal cannabis dosage forms

Abstract

Background: Studies about cannabis dosage forms, with the inclusion of perspectives of users, lead to a better understanding of medicinal cannabis. Purpose: To review studies focusing on medicinal cannabis dosage forms. Method: A comprehensive systematic review was conducted between February and March 2020 to identify studies published in the last ten years about medicinal cannabis dosage forms and opinions of medicinal cannabis users about cannabis dosage forms. HyDi, a tool offered by the University of Malta with access to different databases, was used for the search. Results: Eighty-nine (89) articles were related to medicinal cannabis dosage forms and ten articles were based on opinions. The majority of the studies (n = 97) were performed in a single country, with more than half (n = 61) conducted in the US. Participants were cannabis recreational users (n = 66), healthy volunteers (n = 20), or medicinal cannabis users (n = 13). Studies included one administration form (n = 62) of cannabis, mainly the smoked form (n = 31), followed by the oral form (n = 12). Some studies compared two forms (n = 23), such as smoked versus vaped or oral, edible, and oral versus oro-mucosal. Studies with multiple dosage forms (n = 14) involved a variety of forms, including smoked, vaped, inhaled, oral, sublingual, edible, rectal, and systemic forms. The scope of the studies included pharmacodynamics (n = 41), pharmacokinetics (n = 32), and use patterns and opinions on medicinal cannabis dosage forms (n = 26). Conclusion: Various studies were conducted about medicinal cannabis dosage forms. There is still a need for more studies related to patient perception.