Do Cannabis and Cannabinoids Have a Psychopharmacotherapeutic Effect?

Written historical evidence reveals that Cannabis sativa has been used medically, recreationally and spiritually for more than five centuries in many cultures. It is considered the most-used plant-based psychoactive substance with millions of different usages across the world. To review what the studies, conducted over the past two decades, indicate about effects of the cannabis on physical and mental health as well as the impact on social functioning.

We selected literature review using PubMed resources, to summarize the findings of the existing publications on cannabis and cannabinoids and their possible psychopharmacological therapeutic effects only.

Research supports cannabis' clear acute effect on neurocognition, while non-acute effects for prolonged use of marijuana are unclear and still insufficiently explored. Due to cannabidiol's (CBD) safety and tolerability, the absence of psychoactive or cognitive effects, the existence of clinical trials with positive results and its broad pharmacological spectrum, CBD is a cannabinoid whose initial results will likely lead to implementation into clinical practice. The fact that the results of previous studies establish the claim of CBD as an antipsychotic and anxiolytic, makes the above developments even more likely. However, long-term, double-blind, placebo studies with samples of patients with different psychotic and anxiety disorders are still necessary. Likewise, due to CBD's biphasic effects, determining an adequate therapeutic dose remains a challenge to conclude, the cannabinoid system represents a promising target for new therapeutic interventions in psychiatry.

Further controlled studies are essential to determine the precise mechanisms of action of cannabinoids on various neuropsychiatric disorders as well as the safety of their use are needed. Never just the use of 'smoking cannabis in an unlicenced way'. The use of simple 'smoked cannabis' remains dangerous because of the effects on inducing psychosis which the article itself refers to, and needs to remain illegal.