Cannabis and cannabinoids-easier access, hype and disappointment : What has been confirmed in therapy?

Abstract

Cannabis products are being increasingly liberalized all over the world and there is ahuge interest in cannabis-based medicine. Presentation of current studies on the efficacy of different cannabis-based medicine for the treatment of various diseases CURRENT DATA: In German pharmaceutical legislation, nabiximols is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe therapy-resistant spasticity in multiple sclerosis and nabilone is approved for the treatment of therapy-resistant chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting. In case of therapy failure cannabinoids, as part of an individual therapeutic attempt, may be considered for the treatment of chronic pain (neuropathic pain, cancer pain, non-neuropathic noncancer pain), cachexia in human immunodeficiency virus as well as for Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. From the authors' perspective there is not enough evidence for the use in chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting and chronic non-neuropathic pain. Currently, awide use of cannabinoids does not seem probable in the near future. Further studies involving more patients and evaluating long-term effects are necessary.