ABSTRACT
Cannabis sativa and some of its subspecies contain over 400 chemical compounds amongst which more than 60 cannabinoids have been identified. The pharmacology of many of these constituents is unknown but the most potent psychoactive agent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has been isolated, synthesised and much studied. THC is not only the main psychoactive agent but is also responsible for many of the other pharmacological actions of cannabis. The distribution of cannabinoid receptors is similar to the distribution of injected THC and other cannabinoids; these compounds undoubtedly exert many of their pharmacological effects by interaction with these receptors. A major implication of the discovery of cannabinoid receptors is that it should be possible to develop selective cannabinoid agonists and antagonists for use either as therapeutic agents or as experimental tools to help establish physiological roles of cannabinoid receptors and endogenous compounds which bind to these receptors.
