The Neuropharmacology of Cannabinoids: Developments in Medicine

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 3706

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC—University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Interests: psychiatry; psychopharmacology; addiction; drugs of abuse; toxicity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The cannabis plant and cannabinoids have been of special interest to the scientific and medical communities over recent decades, since they target the endocannabinoid system and are implicated in health and disease processes. Cannabinoids have shown promise as therapeutics in cancer, inflammatory disease, and multiple sclerosis. Additionally, cannabinoids hold promise in mental health. Legislation has also propelled the research into cannabinoids in biomedical science, as many countries have largely legalized the sale and distribution of cannabis plant products. We kindly invite research groups and authors to publish articles on the neuropharmacology of cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and implications for the medical sciences.

Dr. Tibor Markus Brunt
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • THC
  • CBD
  • cannabis
  • endocannabinoid system
  • therapeutic
  • disease
  • health

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

23 pages, 768 KiB  
Review
Cannabinoids in Chronic Pain Management: A Review of the History, Efficacy, Applications, and Risks
by Brooks W. Johnson, Natalie H. Strand, John C. Raynak, Christian Jara, Kisanet Habtegiorgis, Brennan A. Hand, Sang Hong and Jillian A. Maloney
Biomedicines 2025, 13(3), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13030530 - 20 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3295
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Chronic pain remains a pervasive and challenging public health issue, often resistant to conventional treatments such as opioids, which carry substantial risks of dependency and adverse effects. Cannabinoids, bioactive compounds derived from the Cannabis sativa plant and their synthetic analogs, have [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Chronic pain remains a pervasive and challenging public health issue, often resistant to conventional treatments such as opioids, which carry substantial risks of dependency and adverse effects. Cannabinoids, bioactive compounds derived from the Cannabis sativa plant and their synthetic analogs, have emerged as a potential alternative for pain management, leveraging their interaction with the endocannabinoid system to modulate pain and inflammation. Methods: The current, evolving literature regarding the history, efficacy, applications, and safety of cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic pain was reviewed and summarized to provide the most current review of cannabinoids. Results: Evidence suggests that cannabinoids provide moderate efficacy in managing neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, cancer-related pain, and multiple sclerosis-related spasticity. Patient-reported outcomes further indicate widespread perceptions of cannabinoids as a safer alternative to opioids, with potential opioid-sparing effects. However, the quality of existing evidence is limited by small sample sizes and methodological inconsistencies. Regulatory barriers, including the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance in the United States, continue to hinder robust research and clinical integration. Moreover, the risks associated with cannabinoids, such as psychiatric effects, addiction potential, and drug interactions, necessitate cautious application. Conclusions: Cannabinoids represent a promising, albeit complex, alternative for chronic pain management, particularly given the limitations and risks of traditional therapies such as opioids. However, significant deficiencies remain in the research. While smaller trials and systematic reviews indicate therapeutic potential, the quality of evidence is often low due to limited sample sizes, short study durations, and methodological inconsistencies. Large-scale, randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are urgently needed to confirm efficacy and safety across diverse patient populations and pain etiologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Neuropharmacology of Cannabinoids: Developments in Medicine)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop