OMS- Cannabis: not simply a psychoactive, but a powerful medicine
Still think cannabis is just a “recreational” drug? Not for long. The World Health Organization (WHO) has publicly acknowledged that cannabis has vast therapeutic benefits and has suggested that it should no longer be considered simply as a psychoactive substance, and that the regulations surrounding this plant in international drug control treaties should be modified. Well said, WHO!
What is cannabis?
Cannabis, also known as marijuana, weed, pot, green, dope, ganja, kush, hemp, Mary Jane, among others, is a species of plant in the Cannabaceae family. It is a plant with serrated fan leaves, which can come in both monoecious (both sexes in the same plant) and dioecious (masculine plants and feminine plants) varieties.
This plant comes in a huge range of varieties or strains, but from a scientific point of view, all cannabis is sativa (latin name meaning “cultivated”). It is divided into three subspecies:
- Cannabis sativa sativa:
- originates in the Himalayan foothills
- has a greater growth period
- can grow up to 5 meters tall
- leaves are narrow and have a larger number of leaflets (max. 9)
- green color is less intense
- Cannabis sativa indica:
- originates in the mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush and Tibet, as well as the Canary Islands
- has a shorter flowering period
- bushier, with more branches
- more robust and compact
- reaches up to 2 meters tall
- leaves are wide with a smaller number of leaflets (max. 7)
- Cannabis sativa ruderalis:
- originates in southern Siberia and north of Kazakhstan.
- autoflowering, meaning flowering is not regulated by photoperiods.
- grows less, but in a shorter period of time
- has a lower cannabinoid content
Crosses between these three subspecies are very common. These subspecies are called hybrids.
What is cannabis used for?
This plant has been used for thousands of years (in China, evidence has been found of its medicinal use in texts from 2000 B.C.) in a number of ways:
It has been used as:
- textile fabric
- lamp oil
- a mystic and spiritual tool
- material for making road, baskets, paper and clothing
and more recently, as:
- construction material
- a thermal and sound insulator
- biomass for making biofuels
- material for making microfiber (capable of substituting materials like fiberglass, which can be used for car manufacturing).
However, the use that is currently booming, and which this article is focused on, is the use of medicinal cannabis, since this is the use that has prompted WHO to suggest changes regarding the regulations of this wonderful plant.
Cannabis contains more than 100 cannabinoids, or active ingredients, which can be found in greater or smaller proportions depending on the variety. The most common strains are CBD and THC.
- CBD (cannabidiol) is a cannabinoid proven to help reduce seizures, inflammation, chronic pain, anxiety and nausea. It does not produce the psychoactive effect of THC.
- THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid in the plant. It has unique analgesic properties, which is why it can be very useful for treating neuropathic pain. In addition, it stimulates appetite and reduces side effects produced by treatments such as chemotherapy.
As well as cannabinoids, cannabis contains Terpenes and Flavonoids, compounds with great therapeutic potential that can boost the effects of cannabinoids.
What does the law say?
Although the medicinal properties of cannabis have been proven, its use, prescription and distribution have been established within a rigorous legal framework.
International drug treaties are agreements that establish international regulations for narcotic drugs, the main one being the Single Convention of 1961, which was subsequently amended in the 1972 Protocol.
In these treaties, cannabis is included on the list of substances with the highest level of regulations in terms of its production, manufacturing, export, import, distribution, sale, use and possession. In other words, these treaties consider cannabis a narcotic substance and it is regulated as such, disregarding its significant therapeutic potential.
What does WHO suggest?
WHO suggests that cannabis and its resin be removed from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics, meaning that they would be removed from the list of narcotics considered particularly dangerous.
The specific recommendations from WHO are as follows:
- THC and dronabinol (which is the synthetic form of THC): remove them from the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 and add them to Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. The substances in this category should adhere to strict (though not the strictest) control measures in terms of their production, manufacturing, export, import, distribution, sale, use and possession.
- Extracts and tinctures: remove them from Schedule I, i.e. remove the control measures.
- CBD preparations: remove them from international conventions on psychoactive substances.
- Pharmaceutical products produced through chemical synthesis or as a cannabis formulation, so that dronabinol cannot be obtained easily or in such a way that constitutes a risk to public health: add them to Schedule III of the Single Convention on Narcotics of 1961. Schedule III includes the substances with the most flexible regulations, in terms of distribution and international trade.
Why has WHO suggested these changes?
Between the 12th and 16th of November 2018, the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) convened to share their critical opinions on various substances, including tramadol, pregabalin and cannabis.
This committee, the 41st committee of its kind, was formed by people like Professor Patrick M. Beardsley, Ph.D., an expert in medicine for treating drug abuse, Professor Raka Jain, expert in drug addiction and toxicology; Professor Jason White, researcher in the fields of neurology, pharmacology, behavioral analysis and alcohol and drug abuse; and Dr. Afarin Rahimi-Movaghar, professor with more than 20 years of experience in policy-making and research in the fields of substance use and mental health.
Based on their opinions and those of other experts, as well as that which was discussed in the committee, WHO proposed the aforementioned changes to cannabis regulations.
Consequences
The letter containing the proposed changes was sent by WHO on the 24th of January 2019 to the Secretary General of the United Nations. Remember, this article only mentions the suggestions proposed by the committee of health experts, but for now, we are still waiting for an official response.
The fact that WHO has suggested new cannabis legislation shows that we are seeing a shift in the perception surrounding cannabis. Taboos are finally being broken, which we hope will allow us to continue making advances in medicine and in other fields that could benefit from cannabis.
Learn more about the benefits and uses of this extraordinary plant here: CBD, the healing compound.