Cannabis was a commonly prescribed medicine in the UK during the 19th and 20th century. It was prescribed as a treatment for conditions such as melancholia, migraines, sleep aid, analgesic and anti-convulsant. It was only the law changes of 1971, when the Misuse of Drugs Act came into force, that cannabis became illegal. This elimination from the medical pharmacopoeia was contested by doctors at the time.
Despite its illegal status, cannabis could still be researched in certain parts of the world such as Israel. In 1992, at a Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Dr. Lumir Hanus along with American researcher Dr. William Devane working in Raphael Mechoulam’s Laboratory, discovered the endocannabinoid system.
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Cannabis was a commonly prescribed medicine in the UK during the 19th and 20th century. It was prescribed as a treatment for conditions such as melancholia, migraines, sleep aid, analgesic and anti-convulsant. It was only the law changes of 1971, when the Misuse of Drugs Act came into force, that cannabis became illegal. This elimination from the medical pharmacopoeia was contested by doctors at the time.
Despite its illegal status, cannabis could still be researched in certain parts of the world such as Israel. In 1992, at a Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Dr. Lumir Hanus along with American researcher Dr. William Devane working in Raphael Mechoulam’s Laboratory, discovered the endocannabinoid system.
Since this discovery, cannabinoid researchers have identified endocannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system, the internal organs, connective tissues, glands and immune cells. These receptors act as a lock and key with the phytocannabinoids found in cannabis, unlocking signalling activity or blocking receptor function. The presence of these receptors in the central nervous system in particular, mean that cannabis medicines have been proven to be extremely effective in the treatment of pain.
