Fifth symposium on the use of cannabinoids in Strasbourg

For the fifth year running, the international symposium on pharmacological advances and the therapeutic use of cannabinoids was held. Researchers gathered in Strasbourg's Faculty of Pharmacy to discuss the medical advances of cannabis. Some 235 invited researchers, guests and spectators took part.

Medical cannabis making headway everywhere

Organized by UFCM I care, the meeting gave the floor to players in the cannabinoid sector. For several years, UFCM I care has been fighting for recognition of the therapeutic virtues of cannabinoids for various pathologies. Their website acts as an encyclopedia of the medical uses of cannabis.

Although Europe is still lagging behind the Americas, progress in a number of countries is boosting the sector. Leading the way in Europe are the Czech Republic and Germany. This year, Franjo Grotenhermen, Honorary President of UFCM and a doctor, explained how a first patient had received his authorization to grow his herb medical. In Germany, the medical cannabis to be available in pharmacies in 2017.

Cannabis and the use of cannabinoids were also discussed. The American professor Ethan Russo tells us that the first man to classify the different types of cannabis was a Frenchman, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. In his speech, he describes the importance of terpenes in the active ingredients of non-psychoactive cannabinoids. In the same vein, Professor Brenneisen of the Swiss Task Force for Cannabinoids in Medicine explains the different effects of different absorption techniques.

Professor Brennesein explaining the effects of different Cannabis absorption methods

Medical cannabis isn't about cooking

Anne Lise Lobstein, professor of pharmacognosy, spoke about the dangers of medical cannabis recipes on the Internet.

Contacted by Newsweed to expand on her comments: «The problem with the internet is that you can find anything, you're told to prepare such and such a recipe with such and such an herb, for such and such symptoms. Medical cannabis isn't about cooking, you need a precise dosage for a precise pathology. She also deplores the French ban and invites potential patients to turn to Switzerland, Germany or the Netherlands to treat their symptoms.

Another renowned Frenchman, Renaud Colson, a lecturer at the University of Nantes, invites patients requiring a medical prescription to source their supplies abroad. Given that neighboring countries tolerate cannabis, a French patient could show his prescription and thus justify his possession of cannabis. The conference ended with a speech by the Czech Pavel Kubu, who presented the Czechs' major breakthrough in medicinal weed.

The main conclusion to be drawn from this fifth symposium is that France is once again at the bottom of the league when it comes to therapeutic advances in cannabis.