Includes bibliographical references and index.

Looking ahead after 50 years of research on cannabinoids / Raphael Mechoulam -- Cannabinoid receptor intracellular signaling : the long journey from binding sites to biological effects / Lawrence C. Blume, Khalil M. Eldeeb, and Allyn C. Howlett -- Endocannabinoid biochemistry : what do we know after 50 years? / Filomena Fezza and Mauro Maccarrone -- Genetic dissection of the endocannabinoid system and how it changed our knowledge of cannabinoid pharmacology and mammalian physiology / Beat Lutz -- Cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, and stress / Cecilia J. Hillard, Qing-song Liu, XiaoQian Liu, Bin Pan, Christopher J. Roberts, and Leyu Shi -- Cannabinoids and the brain : new hopes for new therapies / Javier Fernández-Ruiz, Mariluz Hernández, and Yolanda García-Movellán -- Potential therapeutic applications of cannabinoids in gastrointestinal and liver diseases : focus on tetrahydrocannabinol pharmacology / Paolo Caraceni, Francesca Borrelli, Ferdinando A. Giannone, and Angelo A. Izzo -- Years of cannabinoid research and the need for a new nomenclature / Vincenzo Di Marzo and Luciano De Petrocellis.