Medicinal use of cannabis: Evidence and therapeutic implications

Abstract

In the twenty-first century marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) emerged as a new resource for patient treatment. Despite its millenary use in several cultures, it was only introduced in the West in the nineteenth century as a medicine, remaining so for almost a century, and then disappearing from the pharmacopoeias, after becoming a target of the prohibitionist climate of the early twentieth century. When relatives of patients begin to rediscover cannabis, it returns to the scene taken by special interest. The discovery of the endocannabinoid system produced a breakthrough with the possibility of thinking about cannabis products for several different diseases and disorders, improving the quality of life of patients and relatives. Pharmaceutical industry of cannabis is gaining body in scenarios that have already regulated their use.