Cannabinoids: Legal aspects, pharmacology, phytochemistry, probable targets from biological system, and therapeutic potential

Abstract

Cannabidiol industrialization is expected to reach $20 billion in sales by 2024 due to a sudden rise in scientific interest in marijuana (cannabis) and its therapeutic potential. Cannabis has been utilized for thousands of years in both medicine and science. Additionally, it has been noted that marijuana's therapeutic use is expanding steadily, and the entire plant can be used to diagnose a number of medical conditions. This is because the human endocannabinoid system has been thoroughly investigated, as well as the molecular structures of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). This review article aims to go through the aspects of cannabis, such as legality, pharmacokinetic parameters, mode of action, and botanical characteristics. The review focuses on the medical applications of cannabis, including the pharmacology of cannabis and cannabinoids, current legal issues, and cannabidiol effect on diverse biological targets. The evidence presented herein in humans on the diagnostic utility and risks of cannabis is focused on unprocessed, botanical cannabis rather than isolated cannabinoids, of which only a few are therapeutically approved. Many studies are ongoing to evaluate the role of cannabis in the diagnosis of various disorders. Different cannabis-based products can cause various side effects. In the last half-century, excellent knowledge has been gained about the effects of marijuana and its cannabinoid components in nonmedical and medical settings. The hallucinogenic cannabinoid delta-9-THC was discovered in the marijuana herb in 1964. Marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids have become the world's most extensively used illicit substances, and most countries classify them as drugs of abuse. After alcohol and cigarettes, marijuana is the third most popular drug in the United States. Marijuana is used to treat generalized anxiety disorder, chronic back pain, seizures, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The SwissADME online tool for CBD was used to identify the 100 most likely targets from the biological system. CBD's ability to combat these targets has been reported in a number of studies. It was found that maintaining legitimacy in the use of marijuana is challenging when considering legality, therapeutic potential, and the likelihood of misuse.