ABSTRACT
The use of preparations from the plant Cannabis sativa, including marijuana and hashish, as natural therapeutic agents has a long history.33 The isolated psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa, ,,9-tetrahydrocannabinol (,,9_ THC) and a number of synthetic cannabinoid ligands produce phanmacological effects with potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of pain, nausea and vomiting, muscle spasticity, appetite stimulation, and glaucoma. This chapter focuses on providing a description of the anatomical and cellular substrates underlying the pain relieving, or analgesic, actions of cannabinoids.
