J Cannabis Ther 2002(2):01-2

Editorial

Editorial

Author
E. Russo

Abstract
This issue of Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics might well be labeled the European-Canadian Special Edition. That is appropriate, in view of the radical changes underway in political policies with respect to cannabis therapeutics in those nations.

Our first article is from Jörg Fachner, and illustrates original research on the effects of cannabis upon brain electrical activity (BEAM or "brainmapping"). Interesting insights are obtained.

The second is an interview with Willem Scholten and Myra Klee, two officers in the Office of Medicinal Cannabis in the Netherlands. They were kind enough to allow the editor a prolonged interview concerning Dutch policy in this area. Minor editing took place to improve the flow of the language and remove extraneous material, but no substantive changes were made in the contents. The pace of change in Europe is so fast that a recent development in Holland must be mentioned. The Dutch government has announced (October 2001) that clinical cannabis research will continue, but during the interval before it is completed, quality-controlled cannabis will soon be available by prescription in pharmacies in that country.

The next article by James Butrica reviews ancient data on cannabis from the Greeks and Romans. It has been almost 30 years since the last in-depth treatise of this type, and new insights are apparent.

Another entry comes to us from the UK, where Vivienne Crawford spins a lively tale of a homelie herbe, none other than cannabis, and its medical usage from the Anglo-Saxon era up to the 19th century.

Finally, we publish here a few of the many presentations available at the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM) Conference recently held in Berlin, Germany. I believe the reader will be impressed with the range and quality of clinical cannabis research taking place on the Continent. Our last entry in 2002 will be a special thematic double issue, "Women and Cannabis."

Ethan Russo, MD
Editor

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