ATTITUDES about cannabis have shifted dramatically in recent years across much of the world. The number of people who view it as a dangerous drug has in the past two decades, while the number who say they use it .
Much of this shift is down to increased interest in the potential medical benefits. According to the latest United Nations drug report on herbal cannabis for medical use, 64 countries now have such provisions.
Advertisement
In the US, this change in opinions has been particularly pronounced, and cannabis is now legal for medical or recreational use in 38 states. Yet despite the increasing popularity of the drug and the compounds in it, most cannabis research is still at a very early stage and claims about it can outstrip the evidence.
To help make sense of it all, our new reporting series will look at how cannabis took over the world and examine some of the urgent questions we face 鈥� everything from its true medical promise to the environmental impact of its rise in use.
In this week鈥檚 cover story (see 鈥淚s CBD a wonder drug or waste of money? Here鈥檚 what the evidence says鈥�), we home in on one of the trendiest uses of cannabis products for health and well-being: CBD, or cannabidiol. A compound found in cannabis, CBD is said to help with all manner of ills, but without the high associated with the drug. We ask whether the promises live up to the hype.
Unfortunately, doing high-quality research on cannabis in all its guises, and obtaining reliable evidence on its health effects, is fraught with challenges, not least the fact it is a polarising issue. Because cannabis is natural in origin, many advocates portray it as harmless. Yet it has long been classed alongside heroin and LSD as a very dangerous drug, and detractors say its potential harms outweigh any benefits.
As more and more people turn to cannabis products for health reasons, it is time that we understand how it affects our bodies and minds. Our series aims to offer a clear-sighted guide to the current state of knowledge and the key open questions. You can explore all the articles at .
