Cannabinoids and therapeutic potential in neuropsychiatry

Cannabinoids have therapeutic utility in some specific areas of medicine, including as an anti-nausea adjunct for chemotherapy and as an anti-inflammatory agent, among others. However, as a therapeutic agent in neuropsychiatric conditions, the data is more limited. Cannabis itself is viewed as a recreational drug of abuse with no medical utility; however, the reality may be more complex when considering individual components of the plant. Cannabinoid components may have some benefit as therapeutic agents in neuropsychiatry, with cannabidiol most often purported to be a therapeutic agent for some seizure disorders. However, recent studies suggest that the cannabis plant is proving to be broader and more complicated in how it delivers potential therapeutic effects. It may be that a combination of components is more effective than any one component. This chapter reviews the medical usage of cannabinoids in neuropsychiatric illness, as reported in the literature, and proposes future approaches that may more effectively avail the attributes of this plant.