A Message from Editor-in-Chief Daniele Piomelli, PhD, PharmD
Dear Colleague,
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research had an outstanding year, and 2018 will mark the close of its third volume. The last twelve months have been busy, but also exceedingly productive! We continued to grow our collaborative relationships with the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) and the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM), and we are thankful for their contributions and help in promoting the Journal. We had a great time seeing everyone at the 2018 ICRS Symposium in beautiful Leiden, The Netherlands, and look forward to the upcoming 2019 Gordon Research Conference in Spain and 2019 ICRS Symposium in Bethesda, MD.
The world of cannabis continues to change at a fast and erratic pace. Social views and laws evolve at unequal speeds. New business models take shape despite a self-contradictory legal landscape. New medical and legal questions arise as old ones linger. Will this confusion turn into clarity? Probably yes, with time, but only if we are able to raise the societal discourse about cannabis above the polarizing – panacea versus poison – narrative that still monopolizes it. To achieve this, we need rigorous scientific research and unfettered evidence-based debate.
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research was created to meet this need. Our Journal is committed to publishing interdisciplinary research on a broad range of cannabis-related topics, including the endocannabinoid system, cannabinoid receptors and signaling, cannabis- and cannabinoid-based medicines, optimal dosing and drug delivery, and short- and long-term effects on health. In addition, we welcome contributions on the plant biology, history, and legal/regulatory status of cannabis and cannabis-based medicines.
So far, it has worked very well. We are happy to see that our published articles are being referenced in news articles and blogs – indeed, it is safe to say that Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research is the most talked about journal in cannabis research. More importantly, we are now indexed in PubMed Central, ProQuest and OCLC, and EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, ensuring that the journal can be found in the catalogs of research universities across the globe.
None of this would have been possible without the continuing contributions from our authors, editors, and reviewers. For this, we are very grateful. A special thanks goes to our Associate Editors and our entire editorial board. They have helped us shape the editorial voice of our Journal and move it forward. I am confident that with their assistance, we will continue to be the premier venue for disseminating new data, research, and findings in this rapidly evolving area of science.
Along these lines, I would like to remind you that Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research will be transitioning to a subscription publication model in January 2019. From then on, the journal will publish quarterly issues and have a printed edition along with its online electronic one, and publication fees will only be levied if authors elect to publish their articles Open Access. While we are ramping up for this transition, we are preparing a landmark inaugural issue to be released in March 2019.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. We welcome your manuscript submissions for rapid and transparent peer review and encourage you to recommend the Journal to your library to ensure you have access to our landmark inaugural issue in early 2019. Additionally, please feel free to contact me if you have any ideas for writing a review or mini-review article. With your support and insights, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research will continue to grow and be an important medium for dispersing new information on this critical subject.
All the best,
Daniele Piomelli, PhD, PharmD
Editor-in-Chief
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research