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Cannabis : Drug of abuse or medicinal use?| old_uid | 5344 |
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| title | Cannabis : Drug of abuse or medicinal use? |
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| start_date | 2008/10/08 |
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| schedule | 16h |
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| online | no |
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| summary | Recent changes to the legal status of cannabis and the licensing of cannabis-based medicines have further raised public awareness of the drug. However, a great deal of the information advocating medicinal use or highlighting cannabis abuse appears contradictory.
In recent years, it has been found that our bodies contain cannabinoid receptors; proteins to which the active components in cannabis ('cannabinoids') bind in order to exert their effect. Moreover, our bodies also produce their own cannabinoids (the endocannabinoids) that perform important modulatory and control functions within the central nervous system. The apparent ubiquity of the endocannabinergic system has led to its implication in a plethora of higher CNS functions (appetite, reward, cognition, learning and memory) and pathophysiological states (e.g. epilepsy, pain, schizophrenia, depression etc.).
The above should also be considered beside the fact that herbal cannabis contains a large number of different cannabinoids (>60) in additional to many other pharmacologically active non-cannabinoids (>400). The amounts of such components also vary considerably with strain, storage and consumption route, making it unsurprising that mixed messages about risks, benefits and use appear within the scientific community and populist media. Moreover, cannabinoids and non-cannabinoid components often exert antagonistic and synergistic effects upon one another, further complicating our understanding of the mechanisms underlying overall effects upon the CNS.
This presentation will discuss some of the science underlying these mixed messages in the context of research currently being conducted at the University of Reading that aims to assess the therapeutic potential of individual cannabinoids to act as anti-epileptic agents.
Dr Ben Whalley is currently a Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy at the School of Chemistry, Food Biosciences & Pharmacy (Pharmacy), University of Reading (2005-present). Following a B. Pharm degree from the University of London, he practised as a pharmacist for a number of years before undertaking a PhD (University of London) examining developmental changes underlying seizure susceptibility in vitro. His current research interests include cannabinoid pharmacology (especially cannabinoid modulation of hyperexcitability states), in vivo and in vitro models of epileptiform activity/epilepsy and the development of multi-site electrophysiological methods for use in such contexts. |
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| responsibles | Bishop |
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