Cannabinoids and pain

DOI 0.1093/bjacepd/mkg175 Cannabinoids have been used in medicine for many thousands of years, although use in Western medicine declined over the last century as more effective agents were discovered. The identification of an endogenous cannabinoid system, akin to the opioid system, has rekindled interest in cannabinoids as potential analgesic agents. Combined with growing scientific knowledge and a groundswell of public opinion regarding therapeutic benefits, the medical use of cannabinoids has been pushed onto the political agenda, often leading to a blurring of the medical and social uses of cannabis. This review will focus on the endocannabinoid system in relation to pain transmission and the evidence for a role in both animal pain models and human studies performed to date.