History of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system
M. Crocq
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience September 1, 2020 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2020.22.3/mcrocq (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key points | Traces cannabis use from roughly 12,000 years ago near the Altai Mountains through ancient medicinal records in China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and its 19th-century introduction to European medicine by figures such as O'Shaughnessy and Moreau de Tours. Argues that the 1964 determination of THC's structure by Mechoulam and Gaoni enabled later endocannabinoid system research, which the author contends places the debate on cannabis liberalization in a new context. |
Abstract
This article retraces the story of cannabis from the earliest contacts of humans with the plant to its subsequent global expansion, its medicinal uses, and the discovery of the endocannabinoid system in the 20th century. Cannabis was attested to around 12 000 years ago near the Altai Mountains in Central Asia, and since then, cannabis seeds have accompanied the migration of nomadic peoples. Records of the medicinal use of cannabis appear before the Common Era in China, Egypt, and Greece (Herodotus), and later in the Roman empire (Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides, Galen). In the 19th century, orientalists like Silvestre de Sacy, and Western physicians coming into contact with Muslim and Indian cultures, like O’Shaughnessy and Moreau de Tours, introduced the medicinal use of cannabis into Europe. The structure of the main psychoactive phytocannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was determined in Israel by Mechoulam and Gaoni in 1964. This discovery opened the gate for many of the subsequent developments in the field of endocannabinoid system (ECS) research. The advances in the scientific knowledge of the ECS place the debate on cannabis liberalization in a new context.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC, THC-O, THCP, and THCV: What Should We Call These Products? | 2023 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Model Psychoses Induced by LSD-25 in Normals | 1956 | Historical analysis | |
| Is there a specific ‘cannabis psychosis’? | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Peak-experience and the entheogenic use of cannabis in world religions | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Out of Harm's Way?: Illicit Drug Use, Medicalization and the Law | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Pharmacological Treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder: Current Practice and Future Directions. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics June 1, 2023
- The Efficacy of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Managing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A New Frontier? Cureus October 31, 2022
- Emerging medications and pharmacological treatment approaches for substance use disorders. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior March 1, 2025
- Psychotropics: A scientific, regulatory, and public view on the medicinal uses of cannabinoids and psilocybin Medical Writing December 11, 2023
- Albert Hofmanns Weg zum psychotogenen LSD 2024
and 3 more in the library