The cannabis plant has more than 100 different types of cannabinoids, but there are two that are the main ones: THC and CBD. Both can be used in recreational contexts or for medical purposes. They are used mainly in patients with chronic conditions, but also in children with epilepsy that do not respond to drug treatments, patients with cancer or HIV, among others. Many stigmas still weigh on the medicinal use of cannabis, but its legalization is becoming more and more common.
An ancient medicine on which stigmas and prohibitions weigh all over the world: we are talking about the marijuana plant or cannabis sativa, according to its scientific term. This herb contains more than 100 cannabinoid compounds, but the most common are tetrohydrocannabinol or THC and cannabidiol or CBDboth can be used both in therapeutic and recreational contexts.
These compounds have in common that they act on the endocannabinoid system, which all mammals have, including humans. Although the study and dissemination of this intercellular communication system has not yet been extended in the medical academy, researchers in the medicinal field of cannabis have been conducting studies on what some call locks or receptors for cannabinoids for more than 30 years. they are found in our central nervous system and in the immune system.
However, THC and CBD do not have the same therapeutic effects. THC has a high psychoactive effect, which is why it is commonly used recreationally, but also to treat patients with involuntary weight loss, cancer or HIV, since it stimulates appetite and is a natural pain reliever.
CBD is a molecule that does not have the ability to have the psychiatric or psychological reactions that people generally look for in non-medical use, but it has been found to be a natural anti-inflammatory, among other properties. It is common to find it in oils or creams, often used as a relaxant or to treat mild anxiety.
Therapeutic uses of cannabis
Although research is very preliminary in some diseases, experts recognize significant clinical potential. “When we do it in a medical context, we do it to treat patients with a specific use. Patients with certain clinical conditions, especially those related to chronic pain, which is a fairly common pathology and often does not respond well to other medical treatments” explains to France 24 Dr. Paola Cubillos, a specialist in integrative medicine and an expert in the field of cannabinoid medicine.
Chronic pain is that ailment that persists in patients for more than three months. “Particularly in iInstances where patients have already gone through several lines of drugs and have not found relief for their pain, and they have not found that their daily functionality can be recovered satisfactorily with the use of other medications,” says Cubillos.
It is there that derivatives of the cannabis plant are used, compounds that are standardized, “so that doctors can know the components of these medicines both in terms of THC content, the most abundant molecule, and CBD, which has anti-inflammatory potentials. very interesting”.
But its uses go further. These cannabinoid compounds are also used to treat cases of epilepsy in children whose control is difficult with other traditional drugs. “These are the two diseases that derivatives of the cannabis plant have used the most to date,” says Cubillos.
As the Colombian-Canadian doctor explains, these derivatives have potential for managing neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, “which is an autoimmune disease in which nerve cells interrupt communication with one another and this will generate a series of neurological symptoms such as spasticity, pain, loss of control of urine” and, as scientists have verified, in some of these patients cannabis has relieved their symptoms.
Contraindications: can everyone use this medicine?
Like any medical treatment, there is talk of indications and contraindications for this type of therapy. It depends on the particular clinical conditions of each patient and the analysis must be done by a health specialist. However, research has found certain cases in which the use of both THC and CBD is contraindicated, “people who should not receive these drugs, because we already know some of the safety elements that tell us that it would not be safe for them “.
The use of THC would be contraindicated in people who have psychiatric illnesses: schizophrenia, bipolarity, or in emotional stability diseases: anxiety or depression that are not under control, explained Dr. Cubillos.
“We do not use it because it has the ability to trigger psychiatric symptoms at high doses or the destabilization of the person’s psychiatric illness”, nor is it indicated in those under 25 years of age “because we know that it has an impact on neuronal and brain development” nor in pregnant, lactating or trying to get pregnant women, since there is not much information about its effects.
CBD, according to Cubillos, is more of a precaution “in those people who already have an established liver disease, because this compound can change the functioning of the liver.” There is also a precaution in people who are taking a large number of medications.
The recommendation of health specialists is to go to competent doctors who understand the uses of cannabinoids to use them in the safest way possible.
Legalization of cannabis derivatives
There is still a long process for the total legalization of these natural drugs and the common medical prescription. However, from Canada to Argentina, more and more countries are giving free and legal access to the medicinal use of derivatives, which facilitates access to these standardized and good quality products for patients.
“From the point of view of the challenges to work with these molecules, there is still a lot of ignorance and there are many areas of knowledge that remain to be filled,” recognizes Cubillos, adding that much research is needed to know what the advantages of cannabis are compared to other drugs.
Ignorance is not only in the streets, many people associate recreational marijuana -considered an illegal drug in much of the world- with medical cannabis, but also within the medical academy and in public entities that finance and support research.
“The remains are quite a few because it is a relatively recent therapeutic modality”, points out the doctor, “which arose from the need of patients to find relief from some of their ailments that they were not finding with traditional drugs”.
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