Biography
Biography: Kevin Spelman
Abstract
Beyond THC there are at least 60 other cannabinoids in the Cannabis plant. Unfortunately the fascination and politics around THC, have created a potential bias against the pharmacology of other potentially therapeutic cannabidnoids. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the second most plentiful cannabinoid in the Cannabis species. Importantly, this pleiotropic cannabinoid does not induce euphoria but does show some intriguing activity in a number of molecular pathways, tissues and physiological systems. Beyond attenuating the euphoria of THC, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-seizure, anti-addictive and anti-neoplastic activities are prominent. In addition, it puts other receptors into play besides the the classical cannabinoid receptors (CB1 & CB2). We will examine the evidence base for CBD, which is growing rapidly and offers broad spectrum and potentailly significant therapeutic potential.