Cannabis and cannabinoids for medical use

• Autor(a) principal: Correia-da-Silva, Georgina
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Fonseca, Bruno M., Soares, Ana, Teixeira, Natércia
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.25756/rpf.v11i1.210

Cannabis derivatives, like other natural products, have been used for medicinal purposes for millennia. Although the advent of molecular biology and computational chemistry has reduced the use of natural products as a source of therapeutic agents, nature continues to influence the emergence of new drug candidates. Cannabis and its products (hashish, marijuana) contain more than 500 compounds, including more than 100 cannabinoids, creating a large family of molecules capable of activating cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), that together with their endogenous ligands called endocannabinoids, and their metabolic enzymes form the endocannabinoid system. This system is widely distributed in the body and is responsible for regulating various physiological functions, thus constituting an important therapeutic promise for various conditions. However, many of its potential benefits need further study, particularly an unambiguous demonstration of its clinical importance is needed. At present, there are drugs with cannabinoids as an active molecule that target very specific conditions, namely in the prophylaxis of nausea to severe vomiting induced by chemotherapy, stimulation of appetite in AIDS patients, control of spasticity in multiple sclerosis, pain and epilepsy. On the other hand, the Law No. 33/2018 of 18th July establishes the legal framework for the use of preparations and substances based on the cannabis plant for medicinal purposes. However, the prescription of medicinal cannabis should be reserved only to cases when conventional treatments with authorized medicinal products are not producing the expected effects or cause relevant adverse effects. In this context, it is important to elucidate health professionals as to the main evidence on the use of cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes and on the potential risks.