Table of Contents:
  • Executive summary
  • Ch. 1. Introduction
  • How this study was conducted
  • Marijuana today
  • Marijuana and medicine
  • Who uses medical marijuana?
  • Cannabis and the cannabinoids
  • Organization of the report
  • Ch. 2. Cannabinoids and animal physiology
  • Introduction
  • Cannabinoid receptors
  • The endogenous cannabinoid system
  • Sites of action
  • Cannabinoid receptors and brain functions
  • Chronic effects of THC
  • Cannabinoids and the immune system
  • Conclusions and recommendations
  • Ch. 3. First, do no harm: consequences of marijuana use and abuse
  • The marijuana "high"
  • Drug dynamics
  • Marijuana use and dependence
  • Link between medical use and drug abuse
  • Psychological harms
  • Physiological harms: tissue and organ damage
  • Summary and conclusions
  • Ch. 4. The medical value of marijuana and related substances
  • Standards for evaluating clinical trials
  • Analgesia
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Wasting syndrome and appetite stimulation
  • Neurological disorders
  • Glaucoma
  • Summary
  • Other reports on marijuana as medicine
  • Ch. 5. Development of cannabinoid drugs
  • Federal drug development policy
  • Development and marketing of Marinol
  • Market outlook for cannabinoids
  • Regulation of and market outlook for marijuana
  • Conclusions
  • Appendixes
  • A. Individuals and organizations that spoke or wrote to the Institute of Medicine about marijuana and medicine
  • B. Workshop agendas
  • C. Scheduling definitions
  • D. Statement of task
  • E. Recommendations made in recent reports on the medical use of marijuana
  • F. Rescheduling criteria.