In countries where it is legalised for medicinal use, medical cannabis has become increasingly popular as a palliative medicine in chronic health conditions, due to its numerous beneficial effects. Law n.º 33/2018, established the legal framework for the use of cannabis plant-based medicines within the Portuguese health care system, namely their prescription and dispensing in pharmacies. This progress has created the demand among the participants of the health care sector to better understand the biological targets of cannabinoids in the human body, the differences among the increasing number of available medical cannabis and cannabinoid formulas, as well as the contraindications, side effects and the possible abuse potential of medical cannabis. We also witness an even faster market expansion for over-the-counter cannabinoid preparations including naturopathic, homeopathic and biocosmetics products that are still in the “grey zone”, that is, their market is not currently regulated, which may require revision.
An expert and enthusiast group of scientists and professors at CNC and UC formed MCC – Medical Cannabis Coimbra, chaired by Attila Köfalvi with the aim to provide an unbiased source of information for the interested health care professionals and lay audience to make a better decision. Our additional goal is to foster the knowledge transfer among the various stakeholders of the medical cannabis industry including companies, regulatory entities and health care professionals, and increase their interaction with both the scientific community including researchers and students, and with the lay public, the ultimate consumers of medical cannabis.
MCC also contributes to the cultural and scientific multifacetedness of the University of Coimbra and strengthens the interaction of our teaching and research staff with the public, the media as well as with the medical cannabis industry. We aim to highlight the importance of research funds provided by the multibillion dollar medical cannabis industry, which is mutually beneficial for the involved parties. We also recognize the importance of introducing the topics of the endocannabinoid system and medical cannabis in undergraduate and postgraduate courses for (future) health care professionals.