PotSmiths – Cannabis Use in Modern Medicine

Author: Kim Lux

PotSmiths has done a lot of research and we want to share with you the research we’ve found regarding cannabis use in modern medicine. Although the current focus on medical cannabis in the United States seems recent, it’s actually the latest chapter in the cannabis saga that dates back thousands of years. Cannabis has been used for food, fiber, psychoactive experiences, and medicine for over 12,000 years.

What We Know Now

As a result of the government’s stance on cannabis, modern science has only begun to understand how cannabis interacts with our bodies to provide medical benefits. It wasn’t until the 1960s, when THC was first isolated in Israel, that scientists were able to study how it affected the body. In the 1980s – 1990s, the first and most important clues were found – specialized receptors and molecules in our very own bodies that play a part in regulating functions like:

Memory
Digestion
Motor function
Immune response
Inflammation
Appetite
Pain
Blood pressure
Bone growth
Neuroprotection, and more.

The specialized molecules are called endocannabinoids. They are made by our bodies to be used within our bodies. There are various specialized receptors in our bodies that respond to different endocannabinoid molecules. Scientists called this regulatory system the endocannabinoid system (ECS). It’s a natural process in action every day in everybody, whether or not that body uses cannabis products.

Cannabinoids: The Key Ingredients

The cannabis plant contains its own cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids) that are so similar to the endocannabinoids made by our bodies that they can interact with the same receptors when we use cannabis. You read that right. Our bodies have a regulatory system that uses the compounds in cannabis.

The cannabis plant contains over 100 phytocannabinoids in varying amounts, but most exist in very small amounts. Two of the most abundant and best-known phytocannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

THC

THC often gets a bad rap because it’s responsible for the “high” when using cannabis, but cannabis isn’t all about the high for many users.

Research shows that THC can help the following conditions:

Anxiety
Glaucoma
Insomnia
Low appetite
Muscle spasticity
Nausea
Pain

CBD

CBD doesn’t have any intoxicating effects and is legal in most states, although some states have restrictions. The irony of isolating CBD from cannabis is that it works better when it’s combined with THC, and it also inhibits the psychoactive properties of THC. It’s possible to get the benefits of both THC and CBD together without the high of THC.

Research shows that CBD can help the following conditions:

Anxiety
Depression
Inflammation
Inflammatory bowel disease
Migraine
Nausea
Pain
Seizures
Psychosis, mental disorders

Beyond THC and CBD: the Therapeutic Effects of Terpenes

Along with cannabinoids, researchers have identified hundreds of other natural chemical compounds in cannabis. Most haven’t been studied, but some that have, called terpenes, also have therapeutic effects.

Terpenes are plant compounds that are responsible for flavor, color, and aroma. They are what gives each strain of cannabis its signature smell and taste.

But they do more than influence the smell and taste. Research has found that terpenes have medicinal effects when combined with cannabinoids.

Science has found hundreds of terpenes, but only a few of those are abundant enough to have caught the attention of researchers. Common terpenes with their therapeutic effects include:

Beta-caryophyllene – helps symptoms of anxiety and depression, anti-inflammatory, pain relief
Bisabolol – reduces skin inflammation
Guaiol – anti-microbial, inhibits some cancer cell growth
Humulene – boosts energy, topical anti-inflammatory
Linalool – anti-stress properties, inhibits fungal infections, anticonvulsant effects, reduces inflammation and pain caused by inflammation, sedating
Limonene – anti-cancer and anti-anxiety properties, immune system boosting, helps heartburn
Myrcene – antifungal and antibacterial properties, sedating, pain relief, helps osteoarthritis
Nerolidol – antifungal, antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory
Ocimene – anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal
Pinene – antidepressant and anti-cancer properties, anti-inflammatory, helps ulcers, supports airflow to the lungs
Terpinolene – antioxidant, sedating, decreases cell growth in cancer

The cannabis plant can be bred to combine different combinations of cannabinoids and terpenes. These specially bred pants are called cultivars, but you’ll commonly hear them called strains.

With so many possible combinations of therapeutic compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes, you can see why cannabis research is so exciting! There are so many possibilities. Until recently, researchers could not access the diversity in cannabis, as they were limited to using cannabis from a single source.

What Researchers Want to Know

Mental health conditions, antibacterial, anti-cancer? Doubters often wonder how one plant can treat so many different, unrelated conditions. The answer is in the many possible combinations of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds yet to be discovered. Cannabis is more than just one plant – it’s one plant with many versions that affect our bodies in different ways.

The medical community only recognizes a few conditions treated by cannabis. However, in a book like Cannabis Pharmacy by Michael Backes, you’ll find as many as 50 possible conditions that benefit from cannabis, ranging from the specific, like acne, to more generalized topics like women’s health issues, all supported by research (citations included).

Recognized or not, research supports using cannabis for the treatment of many symptoms, diseases, and conditions, including:

Acne
Add/ADHD
Alzheimer’s
ALS
Anorexia
Anxiety
Asthma
Ataxia
Cachexia
Cancers
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic pain
Cramps
Diabetes
Depression
Epilepsy
Fibromyalgia
Gastrointestinal disorders
Hepatitis C
Hypertension
HIV
Huntington’s
Incontinence
Migraine
MRSA
Multiple sclerosis
Neuropathy
Osteoporosis
Parkinson’s
PTSD
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sleep apnea
Stress
Tourette’s, and more!

Although research exists to support the treatment of many conditions, much more is needed before the use of cannabis is entirely accepted.

Research on the benefits and uses of cannabis is ongoing for many diseases and conditions. The number of studies and organizations studying cannabis is on the rise as cannabis becomes more accepted across the country.

It’s important to note that the FDA has not approved any cannabis plant for medical use, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) only states that cannabis may be therapeutic for some epilepsy, nausea, and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, appetite and weight loss caused by HIV/AIDS, symptoms of multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain.

Research that might change the FDA’s view of cannabis has been held up by legalities and misinformation for years.

Current Government Research

The federal government has been slower to examine the benefits of cannabis than the states have, as evidenced by the fact that cannabis is still illegal at the federal level. Conflicting laws between the states and the federal government have hindered the progress of research.

Federal law restricts research and the cannabis available for research. According to a report by Science magazine, funding in the U.S. is biased toward focusing on how cannabis can harm people. It has, however, funded some studies that seem focused on finding how to use cannabis to benefit certain populations.

The NCCIH is currently funding several studies on cannabis use, including:

Pain, inflammation, and cognition in users of edible cannabis for lower back pain
Techniques for synthesizing cannabinoids in yeast
The relationship between smoking cannabis and type 2 diabetes

Colorado’s Thriving Research Community

Colorado was an early adopter of medical cannabis and has a thriving cannabis research industry, regulated by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. You might recognize some of the names researching cannabis in our state:

Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

The Board of Health approves funding for medical cannabis research, including the following:

Cannabis and inflammatory bowel disease (the Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus, Children’s Hospital Colorado)
CBD and tremor in Parkinson’s disease (the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus)
Treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with cannabis (the University of Pennsylvania, and VA National Center for PTSD)
CBD and pediatric epilepsy (the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado)
Cannabinoids and pediatric epilepsy (Pediatric Neuro-oncology, Children’s Hospital Colorado)
Four potencies of marijuana in Veterans with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD (the University of Pennsylvania and VA National Center for PTSD)
Pain relief of cannabis versus oxycodone (the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus)
Cannabis for sleep (National Jewish Health)

University of Colorado, Boulder

The CU Center for Research and Education Addressing Cannabis and Health (CU REACH) focuses on cannabis and disease states to improve lives through evidence-based knowledge. Current studies include:

How cannabis use influences the effects of regular exercise.
Sleep and anxiety studies in collaboration with Charlotte’s Web.

Panacea Life Sciences Cannabinoid Research Center

With a donation from Colorado CBD company Panacea Life Sciences, the Cannabinoid Research Center was opened at Colorado State University in October to focus on cannabinoids aside from THC, and how they affect animals and humans.

Colorado School of Public Health, Anschutz

The Cannabis Research & Policy Project reviews research on the effects of cannabis on health, recommends policy, and is tasked with public education about high-potency THC.

Children’s Hospital Colorado

Children’s Hospital Colorado researches the impact of cannabis use on the treatment and management of conditions like epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, and neuro-oncology conditions, as well as marijuana use in pregnancy.

MedPharm Holdings

This Denver-based company is researching marijuana’s effects on Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. MedPharm holds the first medical marijuana research and development license in Colorado.

University of Colorado

Some Colorado-based cannabis companies have partnered with the University of Colorado’s CUChange Cannabis Research team to study the long-term effects of cannabis use, focusing on health and risk behaviors

Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR) at Colorado State University, Pueblo

The country’s first multi-disciplinary cannabis research center at a comprehensive regional institution, the ICR has a number of research projects funded for fiscal year 2022, including:

Short-term effects of cannabis in youth
Increasing the bioavailability of the cannabinoids CBD and CBN (cannabinol) for the treatment of breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis
Gut microbiome and CBD metabolization
Fetal exposure to CBD, brain development, and anxiety behaviors
A systematic analysis of cannabis product labels compared to the product’s actual content
The effects of concurrent cannabis and alcohol use
The impact and tolerability of CBD with and without trazodone on dementia progression
Cannabis use and pain relief after abdominal surgery for cancer treatment
Changes in eye movement as an indicator of recent cannabis use or impairment
Sex determination in hemp plants

The Future of Cannabis Research

The new year may bring us closer to federal legalization – Pew Research Center and Gallup show Americans overwhelmingly support legalization, although fewer than half say they’ve used cannabis. Federal legalization would cut some of the red tape restricting research and allow more organizations to research in more areas of focus. There is no lack of evidence pointing to the medical benefits of cannabis.

If you are looking to become a medical marijuana patient in the state of Colorado and would like access to PotSmiths FORGED from FIRE cannabis and extracts then please visit our medical resources page to get started.

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