Two Decades of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines: 20 Years of Supporting Research and Activities Toward the Medicinal Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids

Abstract

Emerged from the German Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM), a handful of enthusiastic medical doctors from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria supported by experts from other countries established the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM) in March 2000. During the past 20 years until today, it evolved toward the most important scientific society for clinical research in the field of cannabis-based medicines. The overarching aim of the IACM is to advance the knowledge on cannabis, cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and related topics especially with regard to their therapeutic potential, which would allow more patients to profit from a treatment with cannabis-based medicines and ease legislators to adopt their policies. To reach this goal, the IACM organizes international scientific conferences, biweekly publishes the IACM-Bulletin—currently in six different languages—reaching more than 5000 people worldwide, and is working closely together with patient associations, international partner organizations, and IACM ambassadors. In 2019, a collaborative partnership with the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research was established.

Birth of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines

On March 11, 2000, a small number of medical doctors interested in cannabis-based medicine gathered in Franjo Grotenhermen's living room in Cologne, Germany, to establish the IACM, the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine—which later on in 2009 was renamed as the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines. At this inaugural meeting, Franjo Grotenhermen, Germany, was elected as the first chairman, and Kirsten Müller-Vahl from the Hannover Medical School, Germany, as the second chairwoman. Further members of the first IACM board were Ulrike Hagenbach from Switzerland, Kurt Blaas from Austria, and Martin Schnelle from Germany.

Starting Point: the German Association for Cannabis as Medicine

In April 1997, more than 100 people—among them health care professionals, but also patients and their caregivers—from different German-speaking countries (Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) established the German Association for Cannabis as Medicine (ACM). This was motivated by their common aim to build up the worldwide first society specifically focusing on cannabis-based medicines. Noteworthy, at that time, neither cannabis nor single cannabinoids were available for medicinal use in most countries. In Germany in February 1998, with pure delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, dronabinol), the first cannabinoid was legalized for medicinal use. However, due to its very high price at that time, it was not affordable for most of the patients.

Only 1 year later, in December 1998, the ACM organized its first small 1 day educational event on medicinal use of cannabis and cannabinoids in Cologne, Germany. While most speakers came from Germany, also well-known international experts participated such as Raphael Mechoulam from Israel, Roger Pertwee from the United Kingdom, and Lester Grinspoon from the United States. Impressed by the ACMs work, the idea of an international association was born. At that time, the ACM was a unique association in the field of cannabis and cannabinoids worldwide comprising scientists, medical doctors, pharmacists, patients, caregivers, and other people interested in the topic. There were only very few further patient associations in the United States and the United Kingdom as well as one other scientific association focusing on cannabis and cannabis research: the International Cannabis Research Society (ICRS), later renamed as the International Cannabinoid Research Society. However, in contrast to the ACM (and later on the IACM), the ICRS has a strong emphasis on basic—and not clinical—research.

Further discussion among the members of the ACM board and the international experts Roger Pertwee and Raphael Mechoulam made it clear that an international ACM could only succeed as a scientific association with a focus on the health of patients profiting from treatment with cannabis-based medicines. Only 2 years later, in 2000, the IACM was officially established with its office in Cologne, Germany. In the first few years, the IACM had only very few members, and therefore, its work was mainly financed by members of the German ACM.

Aims of the IACM

According to its statutes, in 2000, the following aim of the IACM was defined: “The aim of the association is to advance the knowledge on cannabis, cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and related topics especially with regard to their therapeutic potential.”

On the apron of the first informal IACM meeting held in Wolfsburg, Germany, on September 16, 2000, the board of directors presented the following principles of the newly founded association:

• The IACM supports the medicinal use of both natural cannabis and individual cannabinoids.

• The IACM primarily aims to improve access to cannabinoids for medicinal use.

• The IACM does not promote other uses of the cannabis plant. The IACM encourages all kinds of research related to the medicinal use of cannabinoids.

IACM Board of Directors: Continuity and Renewal

Currently, the board of directors comprises 10 renowned medical doctors and scientists from seven different countries with Kirsten Müller-Vahl, Germany, as the first Chairwoman, and Manuel Guzman, Spain, as the second Chairman. Other board members are Franjo Grotenhermen from Germany, Roger Pertwee from the United Kingdom, Ilya Reznik from Israel, Raquel Peyraube from Uruguay, Bonni Goldstein from the United States, Debra Kimless from the United States, Francisco Guimaraes from Brazil, and Daniele Piomelli from the United States.

Former chairpersons were Franjo Grotenhermen (2000–2003), Raphael Mechoulam (2003–2005), Roger Pertwee (2005–2007), Kirsten Müller-Vahl (2007–2009), Ethan Russo (2009–2011), William Notcutt (2011–2013), Daniela Parolaro (2013–2015), Mark Ware (2015–2017), and Manuel Guzman (2017–2019).

International Scientific Conferences: A Story of Success

Starting in Berlin, Germany, in 2001, the IACM holds biannual scientific conferences on cannabis and cannabinoids. Most of these conferences were organized in cooperation with national medical associations, university clinics, and the European Workshop on Cannabinoids. In 2003, 2007, 2009, 2013, and 2017, they took place in Cologne (Germany), in 2005 in Leiden (The Netherlands), in 2011 in Bonn (Germany), in 2015 in Sestri Levante (Italy), and in 2019 in Berlin (Germany). So far, all conferences took place in Europe, mainly in Cologne in Germany—and therefore called the “Cologne Meeting” by some members. The number of participants constantly increased over the years from about 80 participants from 10 countries in 2001 to about 460 participants from 35 countries in 2019, reflecting not only the increasing interest in cannabis-based medicine but also the unique position and outstanding reputation of the IACM (Fig. 1).

FIG. 1.

Impressions of recent years' IACM conferences (clockwise from left top): Daniele Piomelli, Franjo Grotenhermen together with José Javier Fernandez Ruiz and Manuel Guzman, Roger Pertwee, Raphael Mechoulam, plenary session. IACM, International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines. Photo printed with permission.

To comply with this, in 2019, the IACM board members decided to switch from now on from biannual to annual conferences with alternating meetings in Europe and America. Thus, the 11th IACM Conference on Cannabinoids in Medicine was intended to be held in Mexico City from November 7 to 9, 2020, in cooperation with the Asociacion Mexicana de Medicina Cannabinoide (Mexican Association for Cannabinoid Medicines). Due to the current virus pandemic, the conference will not take place, but there will be an online anniversary event on 5 November. In addition, there will be eight webinars with outstanding experts in October/November 2020. Thereafter, the 12th IACM Conference on Cannabinoids in Medicine will be held in Basel, Switzerland, from October 14 to 16, 2021, in cooperation with the Swiss Task Force on Cannabinoids in Medicine (STCM).

Information: IACM-Bulletin

Another important goal of the IACM is the dissemination of reliable information related to all aspects of cannabis-based medicines to the public community. Starting in 2000, the IACM biweekly publishes the IACM-Bulletin including up-to-date knowledge on recent scientific studies and new developments in the field. While the first issues were released only in German and English language, today, the IACM-Bulletin is translated in several further languages—currently French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian—and reaches more than 5000 people all over the world. Today, after 20 years, the IACM-Bulletin represent an extensive database on all kinds of information related to cannabinoids as medicine.

Partner Organizations and Ambassadors: Building Up a Network

In 2016, the Network Committee of the IACM Board of Directors started to select partner organizations of the IACM among them L'Union Francophone pour les Cannabinoïdes en Médecine (UFCM) and STCM from Europe, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and Patients Out of Time from North America, CAMEDA Cannabis Medicinal Argentina and La Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención en Drogas (ACEID) from Latin America, and the Japanese Clinical Association of Cannabinoids (JCAC) from Asia. In 2018, in addition, an ambassador project was initiated aiming to build a network for mutual assistance around the world.

Patients: Listening to Their Experience

From the very first beginning, patient representatives were an integral and essential part of the IACM participating in board meetings or as speakers at conferences. From 2001 until her death in 2011, Clare Hodges, former Chair of the UK Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics, was the first IACM patient representative. Thereafter, Michael Krawitz (United States), Alison Myrden (Canada), and Sarah Martin (United Kingdom) were elected. To give patients an even stronger voice, in 2017, the number of patient representatives was increased to five and Sébastien Beguerie from France and Max Plenert from Germany completed the group. Patient representatives were included in the mailings and discussions of the IACM board of directors. In 2019, this concept was changed in favor of building up an IACM patient council, to allow the active participation of further patients and to develop their position and role within the IACM. Accordingly, the IACM patient council may consist of patients, caregivers of patients, and nominees from the IACM partner organizations. As the first manager of the patient council, Carola Pérez, chairwoman of the Observatorio Español del Cannabis Medicinal, was elected.

Awards: Honoring Extraordinary Work

Since 2005, every 2 years, the IACM honors outstanding clinicians and scientists for their major contributions to cannabinoid research and/or to the re-introduction of cannabis into modern medicine with the IACM Award in four categories: young researchers, basic research, clinical research, and special award. In 2013, the Award for Basic Research was renamed in Ester Fride Award in honor of the first winner of this award. Ester Fride was a renowned professor and cannabis researcher at the college of Judea and Samaria in Ariel, Israel, who died in 2010 at the age of 56. The list of the IACM award winners reads as follows:

IACM Award for Young Researchers: Mario van der Stelt, Giovanni Marsicano, Istvan Katona, Anatol Kreitzer, Tibor Harkany, David Robbe, Sachin Patel, Matthew Hill, and Ziva D. Cooper.

IACM Award for Basic Research: Ester Fride, Mauro Maccarrone, Manuel Guzman, Andrea Hohmann, Vincenzo Di Marzo, Beat Lutz, Daniele Piomelli, and Kenneth Mackie.

IACM Award for Clinical Research: Geoffrey W. Guy, Donald Abrams, Mark Ware, Willy Notcutt, Philip Robson, Antonio Waldo Zuardi, Kirsten Müller-Vahl, and José Alexandre de Souza Crippa.

IACM Special Award: Richard E. Musty (who died in 2011), Raphael Mechoulam, Ethan Russo, Franjo Grotenhermen, Roger Pertwee, Mahmoud A. Elsohly, Stephen B. Corn, Meredith Fisher-Corn, and José Javier Fernández Ruiz.

In 2014, the IACM honored its former chairman, board member, and awardee Raphael Mechoulam with a film project. Raphael Mechoulam was a Lionel Jacobson Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and published in 1964 a ground-breaking scientific article on the isolation and complete elucidation of the structure of THC. In 1992, his team isolated and characterized the endocannabinoid anandamide. In recognition of his contribution, he is often named as “father of cannabis research.”

Research: Asking the Patients

Although the IACM is a scientific association and many of its members are renowned researchers, up to now, only once the IACM initiated a clinical study: in 2009/2010, the IACM conducted a cross-sectional survey, which was available online in five languages. The study was designed to investigate patients' preferences regarding different kinds of cannabis-based medicines and routes of intake. Within 6 months, nearly 1000 patients from 32 different countries participated in the survey. The results were published in Hazekamp et al.¹

Partner Journals: From the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics to Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research and Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids

According to an agreement between Haworth Press (Binghamton) and the IACM, in 2000, the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics (JCT) became the official journal of the IACM. The Editor-in-Chief was the IACM board member Ethan Russo. First articles were published in 2001. Although many of the articles published in the JCT—for example, review articles and analyses on the historical use of cannabis in medicine—are still of relevance, the project ceased in 2004. All articles published in the JCT are available for free on the IACM web site (https://www.cannabis-med.org on the menu “Journal”).

Another effort publishing articles in the field of cannabis and cannabinoids in medicine was started with the journal Cannabinoids edited by Franjo Grotenhermen. Between 2006 and 2016, about 25 articles—translated in several languages—have been published and are still freely available on the IACM web site (https://www.cannabis-med.org on the menu “Journal”).

On May 23, 2016, the newly established open-access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (CCR) edited by Daniele Piomelli, Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry at the University of California in Irvine and IACM Board Member, announced a collaborative partnership with the IACM. In 2019, the CCR became the official journal of the IACM. Accordingly, since 2020, membership to the IACM includes free subscription to the CCR.

In June 2018, the IACM also partnered with the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids (MCC) published by Karger Publishers Basel. The MCC is edited by Rudolf Brenneisen, Professor at the Swiss Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland, and is the official journal of the STCM.

Public Statements: Medical Cannabis Declaration, World Health Organization, and European Union

In general, the IACM does not publish political statements with the rare exemptions of the Medical Cannabis Declaration (MCD) in 2016, a statement before the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Drug Dependence in June 2018, and a statement before members of the European Parliament in January 2019.

Medical Cannabis Declaration (2016)

The MCD was prepared by the IACM board in cooperation with several other associations advancing knowledge and acceptance of the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids. It is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations. The MCD is available in several languages on a separate web site. It reads:

“Declaration of Human Rights for Medical Access to Cannabis and Cannabinoids: (…) Whereas this Declaration applies to everyone and all people, whereas many doctors are banned by legal requirements from treating their patients with cannabis-based medicines and whereas many people cannot afford access to cannabis-based drugs we thus declare that:

• Every medical doctor has the right to treat his or her patients with cannabinoids and cannabis products according to the rules of good medical care.

• Every patient has the right to access cannabis and cannabinoids for medical treatment supervised by a medical doctor, regardless of social status, standard of living or financial means.”

Statement Before the 40th Meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (2018)

After 70 years, the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence of the WHO reviewed the status of cannabis in international drug treaties for the first time. Besides hearings of patients, doctors, and experts in the field, Michael Krawitz, a patient representative of the IACM, presented an extended written statement. Finally, the IACM was invited to participate with a video statement. Below some excerpts of the statement are given, which deeply impressed the audience:

“(…) If lawmakers and other state institutions deny access to a medicine that helps many seriously ill people, then governments and other state institutions have a credibility problem.

Today, in the 21st century, the debate about cannabis as a medicine is mainly about 2 issues.

(1)

Research efforts on the therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoids have already proven its safety and efficacy in randomized clinical trials, but this needs to be intensified so that physicians can work on an even more solid basis.

(2)

There is no longer a viable argument as to why patients who, according to a medical doctor, profit from cannabis medicines should be prosecuted. They need access to such products, and doctors must be able to advise and treat them.

The question of cannabis as medicine is not so much about a drug as about two basic principles of a civilised society.

The first principle is that patients should receive the best possible therapy. It is the great advantage of a cannabis-based treatment that such a therapy does not fail due to economic concerns. Cannabis can be supplied for a reasonable price.

The second principle is that doctors, scientists and government institutions should work for the benefit of the citizens. Only then can they fulfil their duty. Only then can they retain or restore their credibility. (…)”

Statement on Medical Cannabis to Members of the European Parliament (2019)

Before the vote on a resolution on the medical use of cannabis and cannabinoids in the European Parliament, European members of the IACM Board of Directors delivered a statement to Members of the European Parliament (MEP) signed by Franjo Grotenhermen (Germany), Manuel Guzmán (Spain), Kirsten R. Müller-Vahl (Germany), Roger G. Pertwee (United Kingdom), and Ethan Russo (Czech Republic): “(…) For many years scientists and doctors thought that cannabis is more or less a plant, which exerts its effects by THC and a little bit by CBD. That is what many scientists and doctors still think today. But this is an error, an incorrect simplification of the reality. (…) Cannabis is a rich source of treatment possibilities. As clinicians we do not want to miss all the possibilities that this plant is offering to us and our colleagues to bring this whole richness to our patients. (…)”

Latest and Future Developments: Increase in Professionalism and Broadening of Activities

Against the background of the increasing importance of cannabis-based medicines and the constantly growing body of evidence, it is the more important that researchers, clinician scientists, medical doctors, and patients can meet under one single roof of a reliable scientific society. The vision of the IACM is not only to continue to remain the most important society in the field but also to hold the most important conferences on cannabis and cannabinoids in medicine worldwide, both in quality and in number of participants. To reach these goals, in 2020, the IACM started a co-operation with a professional Swiss conference organizer Congrex, decided to switch from biannual to annual conferences from now on, initiated a webinar series on different topics related to cannabinoids as medicines presented by world-known experts, and plans the first-ever virtual IACM conference.

Further steps toward this direction were: The IACM Board Member Ilya Reznik was nominated as Secretary for Cooperation and Networking. Carola Pérez was hired as Director of Communication, setting up social media networks on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Herman Klinke is working to put up the newly designed IACM web site including members-only site. Finally, in 2019, a Professional Council as a new body of the IACM was initiated. It consists of the IACM members and counsels the board with regard to scientific and educational issues. Currently, it is coordinated by Manuel Guzman and Roger Pertwee.

Thus, during the last two decades, the IACM decisively contributed to the progress of cannabinoids in medicine and established a scientific association for all those clinicians, researchers, and patients, who are interested in and want to become active in this field. However, there is still a long way to go to reach the next steps and final goals of the IACM.

Sources

IACM web site: https://www.cannabis-med.org, with up-to-date information on webinars and conferences in October/November 2020, databases, free articles, free newsletter, and membership opportunities.

IACM-News (former IACM membership newsletter)

MCD web site: https://medical-cannabis-declaration.org

Minutes of General Meetings and Board Meetings of the IACM

IACM presentation for the 40th WHO ECDD in Geneva on 31 May 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DnHeu_ngWo&feature=youtu.be

Footnotes

Author Disclosure Statement

Franjo Grotenhermen is one of the founders of the IACM, was its first chairman, and is its executive director.

Funding Information

No funding was received for this article.

Cite this article as: Grotenhermen F, Müller-Vahl KR (2021) Two decades of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines: 20 years of supporting research and activities toward the medicinal use of cannabis and cannabinoids, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 6:2, 82–87, DOI: 10.1089/can.2020.0044.

Abbreviations Used

References

Hazekamp

, Ware

, Müller-Vahl

, et al. The medicinal use of cannabis and cannabinoids—an international cross-sectional survey on administration forms. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2013; 45:199–210.