To the editor,
Kudos to Dr. George Griffing's assessment of the endocannabinoid system and its therapeutic potential in disease treatment.[1] Recent preclinical research indicates that the endogenous cannabinoid system plays a role in the regulation of numerous of physiological functions, including appetite,[2] learning capacity,[3] blood pressure,[4] motor coordination,[5] mood elevation,[6] and embryonic implantation,[7] and some experts now suggest that endocannabinoids and their receptors may counteract biochemical imbalances that are characteristic of numerous damaged or diseased states, in particular those associated with aging.[8]
The modulation of the endocannabinoid system will likely yield breakthroughs in the treatment of numerous disparate diseases and pathological conditions.
According to a review published in the current issue of the journal Pharmacological Reviews, these conditions include mood and anxiety disorders, movement disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, cancer, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension, glaucoma, obesity/metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis.[9] Predictably, many patients who report experiencing therapeutic relief from cannabis use it to treat symptoms or moderate progression of several of these same diseases.
Cultural stereotypes and political biases against cannabis and its active compounds should not impede the clinical investigation of cannabinoid therapeutics and their impact on this important biological system.
References
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