cannabis-pharmacology
Cannabis pharmacology examines how the plant's diverse chemical arsenal—over 100 cannabinoids like THC alongside 120-plus terpenes—produces psychological and physiological effects through complex molecular interactions. This field matters for plant science because it reveals how a single genus evolved such extraordinary biochemical diversity, with different plants producing unpredictable and highly variable concentrations of these compounds. Understanding this variability helps researchers unravel the genetic and environmental factors driving secondary metabolite production in plants more broadly.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-07-01
A systematic review of 12 mathematical models reveals why the same cannabis dose hits people very differently: the drug's absorption into the body varies wildly depending on how it's taken, the formulation used, and whether someone is a regular user. Researchers compiled these models into a reference repository to help clinicians tailor cannabis-based medicine to individual patients.
Bioavailability of THC varied from 22% to 91% across studies, reflecting extreme absorption unpredictability tied to route of administration, formulation, and usage history.
Between-subject variability in clearance ranged 17-50% and in volume of distribution 10-57%, with absorption-phase variability consistently the largest driver across all 9 reviewed THC models.
All 12 identified population pharmacokinetic models used two- or three-compartment structures; the review consolidates them into a standardized repository to guide model-informed precision dosing.
