Marijuana has become a normalized substance within the country as more and more states legalize the use of said substance. Users mainly describe a sense of euphoria and stress-relief when consuming cannabinoids. This is due to the fact that natural occurring endogenous cannabinoids within the brain are heavily involved with mood, sleep, motivation, pain, and neurological disorders. Seeing that endogenous cannabinoids have an effect on various disorders, research regarding the effectiveness of cannabinoids as a therapeutic form of treatment is currently at the forefront of the scientific community.
A news article, “New U.S. law promises to light up marijuana research” from Science.org explains the new developments regarding marijuana research. According to the article, in early December 2022, President Biden signed legislation easing access to marijuana for medical research. Due to the fact that the medicinal benefits of marijuana have yet to be proven, this new law is expected to accelerate the process of obtaining government permits for scientists hoping to study the effects of cannabinoids. Since marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency, prior to this law, researchers reported a one year wait time to obtain the permit necessary to conduct research with this substance. However, with the new law, researchers are expected to hear back from the DEA within a period of 60 days. If changes need to be made to the study or the DEA simply requires more information, upon resubmission of the application, the agency must approve or deny the study within a month. Placing a strict timeline on the DEA’s response time will streamline the process of obtaining approval, allowing more cannabinoid research to be done.
One study done regarding the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids was conducted by Patel et al. before the passing of the new law. This article “Endocannabinoids at the synapse and beyond: implications for neuropsychiatric disease pathophysiology and treatment”. investigated the various possible outcomes of utilizing the endocannabinoid signaling pathway for its therapeutic effects on the body. Patel and colleagues examined adaptations in the eCB signaling system and how they connect to development disorders, stress-related disorders, obesity, epilepsy and substance use disorders. By looking at the adaptations with the signaling pathway, Patel discovered that said pathway has many potential opportunities for therapeutic intervention that can benefit individuals with neurological disorders. However, in the discussion section of this article, Patel did mention the need for more research to be conducted to determine exactly what parts of the pathway can be manipulated to benefit patients.
The results of the study done by Patel and his colleagues provide a potential starting point for research regarding cannabis as a form of treatment. This article has confirmed that there is a possible medicinal benefit to using cannabinoids. Now, further research must be conducted to determine what said benefits are. Due to the new legislation regarding cannabinoid research, scientists will be able to conduct said research in a timely manner as the popularity of marijuana continues to grow within the states. Hopefully, this will allow the scientific community to come to a concise conclusion regarding the effects of cannabinoids on the individual body.
References:
Scheyer, A., Yasmin, F., Naskar, S. et al. Endocannabinoids at the synapse and beyond: implications for neuropsychiatric disease pathophysiology and treatment. Neuropsychopharmacol. 48, 37–53 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-022-01438-7
Wadman, Meredith. “New U.S. Law Promises to Light up Marijuana Research.” Science, 2 Dec. 2022, https://www.science.org/content/article/new-u-s-law-promises-light-marijuana-research.
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