Cannabis, once a taboo subject, has made a pragmatic shift into mainstream culture. The plant has become a popular topic of conversation worldwide, in part due to changes…

Cannabis, once a taboo subject, has made a pragmatic shift into mainstream culture. The plant has become a popular topic of conversation worldwide, in part due to changes in public opinion, increased medical access for patients, and a changing approach to drug enforcement focusing on harm reduction rather than criminalization.

Currently, cannabis is the most consumed illicit drug in Western culture (Radhakrishnan et al., 2014), and it has a long history of human use for medicinal purposes (Mechoulam and Parker, 2013).  However, a turbulent past and restrictive policy have made it difficult to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of cannabis (Pacher et al., 2006).

Despite these major barriers to academic research, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that mediate the effects of cannabis continues to advance, with the hope that this work may contribute to novel therapies to combat human disease.  The goal of this article is to provide a generalized overview of the intracellular signaling mechanisms that are responsible for the effects of cannabis. [Read More @ Lift]