MEDICINAL CANNABIS is by no means a new phenomenon. After all, the cannabis plant has been incorporated into ancient medical treatments as a pain reliever for thousands of years.

However, it is only within the past decade or so that we have seen modern medicine begin to recognise its potential benefits.

Its popularity today, particularly in the form of CBD, is growing at pace thanks to strong interest from consumers. Indeed, The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis estimates that 1.3 million consumers are spending over £300 million per year on CBD products in the UK. This is larger than the total UK consumer spend on Vitamin D (£145 million) and Vitamin C markets (£119 million) combined. Yet despite such popularity, confusion still reigns about what the product actually is.

At a glance, the world of medical cannabis can seem complicated and overwhelming; with so many abbreviations for the various compounds, it can be difficult to get to grips with what the products actually contain. So, here is an introduction to medical cannabis, which, will help readers understand a little bit more about the products themselves and how they work.

Starting with the source

To be able to understand the basics of medical cannabis, perhaps it’s best to start with the source.

Cannabis itself comes from, rather fittingly, the cannabis plant (also known as cannabis sativa). Whilst this might be an obvious point, interestingly the cannabis plant can produce over 140 naturally occurring chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. Of the various compounds produced by the plant, it’s THC (or, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) which are most commonly used in medical cannabis.

However, both cannabinoids can have very different effects on the body, so it’s important to understand the difference between the two.

Knowing your CBD from your THC

The main difference to note is that CBD is a non-psychoactive compound, meaning it does not create the “high” effect often associated with cannabis. THC, on the other hand, is the primary constituent of cannabis that causes intoxicating effects; because of this, the volume of THC in medical cannabis products in the UK is limited to 0.2%.

Despite the associations of THC with recreational use, CBD is growing in popularity, thanks to claims of various therapeutic benefits. Indeed, proponents of CBD claim that it has wide-ranging benefits, from treating inflammation and pain, to reducing anxiety and insomnia.

There is a constant stream of scientific research being conducted to investigate all possible benefits it could present, with exciting developments emerging in this space on a regular basis.

Why are these abbreviations entering the mainstream?

Put simply, we’re hearing these abbreviations more and more because a greater number of consumers are taking the products and praising its benefits – particularly when it comes to CBD. Narrowing in briefly on the UK market, a recent ITV report from October 2019 revealed that around six million Brits have tried CBD bought in shops and online.

Indeed, people’s exposure to CBD has grown exponentially as the compound has made its way into everyday products. Dedicated CBD retailers, for instance, sell everything from CBD-infused shampoo to confectionary, while CBD coffees have cropped up on the menus of popular cafes.

These, however, represent commercial uses, rather than medical use-cases. CBD cannot currently be marketed as a medical product due to insufficient research; however, oils and capsules are being used by people as supplements in the hopes that it might relieve symptoms like pain and anxiety.

What does the future hold for medical cannabis?

It’s hard to overstate the speed with which CBD has entered the mainstream, and the volume of research currently being undertaken to uncover its effectiveness at treating medical ailments. For example, research published by Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2017 suggested that CBD reduces seizures by nearly 40% in children with a form of drug resistant epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome.

As this trend grows and CBD products reach more consumers, education is key. Arming the public with a good understanding about medical cannabis and how its various compounds are used will ensure safe, responsible use. It will also ensure consumer knowledge keeps pace with scientific developments in this space.

For instance, Symtomax are looking to launch their CBD Oral Tab in the early part of the year, which will offer an innovative delivery method. The unique route of administration through the inner lining of the mouth, not only improves the flexibility of time release but also increases the amount of medicine available to enter the blood stream. Whilst this is just one example, it highlights the rapid developments currently taking place in the medical cannabis industry.

Perhaps most importantly, improving education and creating a more open discussion around medical cannabis will bolster transparency and trust in the market. This will, in turn, prevent false expectations about what that product currently can and cannot do.

Paul Segal is the Chairman and co-founder of Symtomax. Symtomax have been approved by Infarmed to start the development of Europe’s largest medical cannabis facility. The company is dedicated to the production, research, cultivation, processing and distribution of medicinal cannabis oil to pharmaceutical companies worldwide.