The legalization of Cannabis for medical use.

Abstract

Introduction Cannabis comes from the plant Cannabis sativa and appears illicitly as the plant, as resin or as an extract of the resin (hash oil). It contains about 60 different cannabinoids including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, dronabinol), cannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabigerol and cannabichromene. It is the THC that is the psychoactive constituent and gives the high normally associated with the use of Cannabis. The relative and absolute amounts of the various cannabinoids in any sample of Cannabis will be dependent not only on the variety of Cannabis grown, but also on the part of the World where it is grown and its growing conditions. Varieties grown for hemp fibre are very low in THC content, whilst plants grown for their medicinal value can be rich in THC or cannabidiol or other cannabinoids depending on their intended use. Many synthetic analogues of THC have been prepared in laboratories, but only Nabilone has made it to the market as a medicine.