Canabidiol: estado da arte e os caminhos para a regulamentação no Brasil

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Cannabis sativa, a plant from Central Asia, whose millennial use for textile, ritualistic, religious, alimentary, medicinal and recreational purposes is widely known, is composed of more than a hundred phytocannabinoids, among which we highlight, in this study, cannabidiol (CBD), its main non-psychotomimetic constituent. OBJECTIVE: This dissertation aimed at compiling and analyzing the experimental and clinical evidences on the effects of CBD in several pathological conditions and to raise the main legal aspects that involve the subject, in Brazil and in the world, in order to demonstrate its therapeutic potential and propose the ways of regulating the issue in our country. METHODS: A bibliographic review of the pre-clinical and clinical studies published since the year 2000 that investigated the pharmacological effects of the CBD and the main legislation in force in Brazil and in the other countries. RESULTS: It has been found that CBD has great therapeutic potential, and a purified CBD-based drug has recently been approved by the FDA for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. Data from non-clinical and clinical studies also reveal its indication for the treatment of various diseases such as anxiety, psychoses, depression, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, among others. There is a worldwide trend towards acceptance of the medicinal use of Cannabis and its derivatives, with legislative changes taking place in various parts of the world. CONCLUSIONS: The studies compiled evidence the activity of CBD in a wide range of pathological conditions. Several countries have already regulated the medicinal use of Cannabis and derivatives, some have even released the "recreational" use of the plant, but much care should be taken by policy makers on access to legislation on the subject, given the complexity of the endocannabinoid system with the which these compounds interact, so that they not only approve their use, but also do it with responsibility, aiming at public health, facilitating the access and encouraging the development of new researches.