Drug discovery crude preparations are morphine, the active agent in opium, and digoxin, a heart stimulant originating from Digitalis lanata. Organic chemistry also led to the synthesis of many of the natural products isolated from biological sources. Historically, substances, whether crude extracts or purified chemicals, were screened for biological activity without knowledge of the biological target. Only after an active substance was identified was an effort made to identify the target. This approach is known as classical pharmacology, forward pharmacology, or phenotypic drug discovery. Later, small molecules were synthesized to specifically target a known physiological/pathological pathway, avoiding the mass screening of banks
Cannabis (drug) in the United States and several U.S. states have legalized recreational or medical use. Private use of cannabis was legalized in September 2018 after a unanimous decision by the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. South Africa is the world's third largest producer of cannabis and the plant has historically been used by traditional healers and Rastafari. Footnotes Citations Cannabis (drug) Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the "Cannabis" plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of 483 known compounds in the plant, including at